


A New Padawan

by littlestarlight44



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Deaf, Deaf Character, F/M, Friendship, Jedi, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Training, OC, clone friendships, deaf jedi, mentor obi-wan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-09 08:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16446035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlestarlight44/pseuds/littlestarlight44
Summary: About year into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan accepts to train a new Padawan: nineteen year old Ana Staphos. Ana, however, is also deaf. Obi-Wan quickly finds out that there is a lot to learn on both sides. How will a deaf Jedi fare in war?(Story is mostly friendship and adventure Jedi training stories following the show, but will also turn to romance (not with Obi-Wan)).





	1. Chapter 1

“This is the third malfunction that stopped the surgery from happening. First the droids all broke down before surgery, then there was an electrical surge that broke down most of the monitors and equipment, and now her implant cannot be found.” Qui-Gon Jinn tried to reason with the Council in the hospital room, “the Force does not want her to have this implant.”

  
The Council looked at each other in thought. This idea was not a ‘one among the rest’ idea. There were others on the Council who were in agreement with Qui-Gon that the little over one year old baby who was asleep in a small protected box with some blankets for comfort, prepped and ready for surgery for her audio-implant, should remain deaf. It had been an argument among the Council members for three weeks now ever since the 18 month old with light strawberry blonde hair that was just starting to grow in had been left on the steps of the Temple by a hooded woman. The Temple Guards found nothing but the small child wrapped in a small bassinet and a note only stating: _My daughter is Anallah Genevieve Staphos. She is Force Sensitive and deaf._ No one had seen who dropped her off.

  
Ever since it was a discussion on whether or not the young one should remain deaf. Upon medical analysis, there was nothing wrong with her ears. Everything was working as it should and everything was developed. For all purposes, she should be able to hear but she didn’t. She didn’t respond to sound at all, no matter how loud. The medbot suggested that she could have gotten sick or when she was born she did not get enough oxygen. Qui-Gon and Adi Gallia were major advocates that she remain deaf. Qui-Gon argued that if she was born deaf, or had become so that it was the will of the Force. But they had debated and had a vote and Anallah undergoing surgery was the majority vote to carry. Most of them did not know sign language and training her would take more time and it would be more difficult. It would be uncharted territory for all of them.

  
All of the Council members felt that she was very strong in the Force. She even knew how to manipulate it even at such a young age. She could pick things up very easily, such as bottles and toys, and bring them to her. Adi Gallia attributed this to the fact that she was deaf and could not talk or call well enough to get what she wanted from her parents, so she learned to bring the things to her herself than crying for others to do it. Seeing the steadiness of how the objects came to her was surprising to many members though. She already had a good physical connection with the Force. But that was not the only things that surprised them. Even though Anallah had only been at the Temple for a couple of weeks, she was beginning to understand feelings in the Force strongly as well by just being with them. When the young child realized that she could project feelings in the Force and that they could understand her, something different from her parents, it was like an ecstatic lightbulb went off in her head. From there, she constantly did it and it was how the people around her understood when she was hungry, even why she was upset. And she used these emotions to know them too. Soon she didn’t need to turn to know that they were coming. She recognized that each person was different in the Force and then knew them well to identify who was who and even if she could trust them. She felt through the Force to know if they were safe and secure, if they liked her, if they wanted to take care of her. This happened within the first two weeks she was with them and most of the Jedi Masters were surprised about how quickly she learned to manipulate and use the Force to help her like that.

  
The Council knew she would be strong in the Force, but they did not know if her deafness would hinder her or if it would help her. Plot Koon argued that it was her deafness that made her manipulate the Force so easily because she relied on it and could sense through it because that was how she connected with people since there was a barrier of language. Feelings to her and expressions were how she connected. If she wasn’t deaf, she wouldn’t do this the same way. Then there was the counter argument of training her, how it would be different and they didn’t know how far of a stretch it could be. She firm ground, but to build on it was what they worried about.

  
When the droids, fully charged with no problems, suddenly broke down many thought of it as a sign from the Force, trying to encourage them to keep Anallah deaf. And when it happened again, it was more of a reason for Adi Gallia to argue for another vote. Now, neither of them could deny that what was happening couldn’t be a coincidence.

  
Mace Windu looked at the sleeping child, innocent of anything.

  
“Who will teach her. She will need extra language teachings for sign language and basic.” he commented.

  
“I can.” Qui-Gon told them, “I’ll teach her.”

  
“You do not know it yourself,” Ki-Adi Mundi reminded him.

  
“No,” Qui-Gon admitted, “but I will learn.”

  
“All of us will have to if we are going to train her. All of us will be teaching her as she grows.” Stats Allie commented to them.

  
“I believe it will be worth the extra time and effort.” Plo Koon told them.

  
“I agree,” Saesee Tiin told them, “we can learn and she can know both languages.”

  
“I would also be willing to teach her,” Adi Gallia told them, another large advocate of her deafness as well, “I believe that this child staying deaf is the will of the Force. She was born like this for a reason and these coincidences are too much for me to say that we should try again. I believe this is what the Force wants and we should follow it. Just because she is deaf does not mean that she will not make a remarkable Jedi. Even at her age she is strong in the Force. That is no accident.”

  
Qui-Gon nodded in agreement. He told them, “I suggest another vote.”

  
Everyone looked at Yoda, who was looking at the sleeping child and thinking. After a couple of moments, he nodded, “yes, another vote, we should have.”

  
And this time, a new favour had the majority.


	2. Chapter 2

_** Chapter Two ** _

Ana Staphos was meditating in the Jedi Temple. It was a peaceful weekend, no Jedi had been called out for battle all weekend and it brightened people’s spirits. Jedi were reconnecting with each other after long absences away from each other. She could feel the high spirits within the walls of the Temple, almost bouncing off of each one. Laughter and smiles were seen on every face. 

But Ana had to find some peace, the Force longing her to centre herself in it again. Although there was some socialization among the Jedi, she had seen it in the Halls, she never got involved. Most people had their own conversations and she didn’t want to interrupt, or she wouldn’t be able to talk to so many people at once. The vibrantly red haired girl did not have very many friends, or at least people to talk to constantly. There were some, but only a handful who spoke her language and would give her the patience she would sometimes need in a conversation.

Feeling content, Ana got up off of the floor, wondering where to head to next. The library was always open, but she didn’t know what to read there. Most of the books she had already read. She could go to the training room to work on her hand stand, but she wasn’t in the mood for a workout or balancing act.

Deciding that she should eat something today, she made her way to the Mess Hall. It was partially full of a mix of clones and Jedi masters, learners, and padawans. She knew the names of all the Jedi members, but most of the clone names were a complete mystery to her besides the Captains and Commanders. 

Getting in line, she filled a small tray before going to the corner of the least crowded table. Some clones nodded to her out of respect, to which she nodded back and gave them a small smile before they returned to their conversation, leaving her completely out of the loop as they turned their heads and she could no longer follow their conversation even if she wanted to. Sitting down, she looked at the food on her tray and ate it slowly, buying some time for what she could do. There wouldn’t be any lessons this weekend she was sure. Nothing to really teach, nothing more to really learn. Both for her or the younglings she would sometimes teach for basics and take care of. She was a nineteen, almost twenty, year old who still wasn’t a Padawan. That was the teaching she still definitely needed. Although she could try and get some type of job out of the Temple with their help, many didn’t hire deaf people so that was an even harder option. But no one wanted her. Not yet at least. She was a bigger responsibility than most Padawans and many masters didn’t have the time to train someone like her. 

It was hard to have a deaf Padawan. It was even harder for a master to have a deaf Padawan in a war. 

She could read lips and could talk well, or so she was told by many, but everyone she knew and grew up with had mostly left her behind. No one would communicate with her in her language most of the time, and she couldn’t follow a large group of people talking. So she mostly kept alone, nodding and smiling to Masters. She could talk to most but there were some she found problems with; Master Plo being one. Although he did learn some sign language for when he taught her, she sadly mostly never talked to him. And she found it a shame since so many people looked up to him and she heard many good things about him. 

Ana’s training as a Jedi was not completely different than other younglings. There were certain lessons where she did them one on one with a Master so that it was easier for her not to get lost in chaos of what learning could be sometimes. And before she learned to talk she learned to sign and that held her back only slightly. She was smart and picked up on Basic and quickly caught up with the others her age and she did well in lessons as long as she could see the teacher’s lips. However, group activities never were her thing.

What she couldn’t keep up with though was Padawan training. The Jedi Master would have to learn sign language and that took time. And then a war started and that took up even more time that the Jedi didn’t have. And in a war, a deaf person was a liability, as she had heard some Jedi Masters say.

She felt a young Togruta’s presence coming closer to her and she looked up once to see Ahsoka. Giving her a smile, Ahsoka beamed back.

“Can I sit?” she asked.

Ana nodded, motioning to the seat across from her. Ahsoka was one of those people who she did consider a friend. She was also one of the handful of people she grew up with who made an effort to learn sign language to communicate with her. Ahsoka sat down before signing _thank you._

Ana gave her a smile before Ahsoka asked, trying to sign though Ana could see she forgot most of what Ana taught her, even if it was very little. But Ahsoka never used it anymore or talked with her as much, not since when Ahsoka became a Padawan. She signed: "Bariss and I are going out today around Coruscant. Do you want to join us?"

Ana shook her head, answering verbally, “no thanks. I’ll probably just hang around the library.”

The Togruta scrunched up her nose and Ana giggled. Ahsoka never did find solace like she did in reading. Ahsoka was more of a 100mph learner. 

“It could be fun.” Ahsoka told her.

Ana shrugged. She didn’t really know Barriss. Despite being around the same age and training with her sometimes, the two didn’t really talk. And Ana knew Ahsoka and Barriss were closer and she would just be staring at them talking to each other, making comments every now and then. And she would rather spend her day doing things that wouldn’t make her feel out of the loop more than she already was.

“I’m fine, really.” Ana answered. 

She felt others come close and Ahsoka looked up and smiled, talking fast again. She looked around her and noticed some clones go around, talking as well. They sat on the other side of Ahsoka and Ana, giving her a smile as well, but Ana just smiled back awkwardly, not knowing exactly where to look as they all talked at once. There were four of them. She recognized them talking with Ahsoka before and she always assumed that they worked with her. She saw Ahsoka move her hand in the corner of her eye to catch her attention and Ana looked at her again. Ahsoka introduced, signing silently _, "_ these are some of the boys of the 501st."

Ana nodded and looked over and gave them a smile, “nice to meet you.”

She looked back at Ahsoka and she introduced them, pointing before signing each letter of the names so Ana wouldn’t mistake them "Echo, Fives, Kix, Captain Rex."

“Hi, I’m Ana,” Ana told them.

Rex looked at Ahsoka and asked, moving his hands slightly to try and mimic sign language, “what was that?” 

Ahsoka looked at her and Ana smiled back as a silent thank you that the Togruta was letting Ana explain it.

“It’s sign language. I’m deaf.” Ana answered.

All of the clones looked confused and curious. Ana gave them a small smile.

“Deaf as in…can’t hear anything deaf?” Kix asked.

She nodded. “That would be it,” Ana answered.

The clones still made curious faces and Ahsoka grinned at them before Echo asked, leaning forward, pointing to his ear, “so…you don’t hear anything? Like, at all?”

Ana shook her head, moving her red hair to show a white hearing air, “I can hear loud noises, like…a ship going off or an alarm very faintly but…other than that, no, nothing.”

“So you can’t hear my voice?” he asked.

Ana shook her head, putting her hair back down, “No. Not at all.”

Rex looked between her and Ahsoka, a silent question going between them and Ana looked back at them before Rex asked her, “but…you can read lips I’m guessing.”

Ana nodded, “yes.”

Rex opened his mouth before closing it and Ana chuckled, already knowing the question he was debating about asking: “it’s okay. I don’t know how it happened. I was deaf when I was dropped off at the Temple when I was still a baby.”

Rex nodded, looking as though some realization hit him. Slightly confused by the expression, Ana’s eyes then flickered when she saw the other clones talking about something. She moved back to Rex and away from the distraction before she looked down at her tray and shrugged, looking back at Ahsoka, “I’m not as hungry as I thought that I was. I hope that you have a fun day out.”

Ahsoka looked a little disappointed, even slightly distressed before she said, “I…you’re still welcomed to come with us.”

Ana shook her head and got up, “no, you have fun. I’ll see you later.”

Ahsoka nodded, offering her a last smile. Ana looked to the other clones and told them, “nice to meet you all.”

They gave her a smile and nod before she left, putting the food in the trash before she set the tray on top of it. She looks back and sees that Ahsoka was already talking with the clones about something. Ana gave them one last wave, but didn’t know if they saw it before she left. She weaved past some more clones going in before making her way to the library. As she got closer she she could feel less Force signatures around. It helped her feel more relaxed that she wouldn’t be around so many people.

Going inside, Ana smiles at Madame Jocasta and the older woman smiles warmly back. After walking around a bit, Ana found a holobook to read, one of her old favourites, a collection of old tales from an ancient time of Coruscant. Getting comfortable in a chair, Ana sits comfortably in the corner, going to her favourite short stories.

The library always did provide solace for Ana. It was a quiet place with stories and knowledge, something that Ana had always searched for. It was here she could learn comfortably at her own pace and search out her wonder and knowledge. And it was a comfortably calm atmosphere. It was a place that where she had that time to herself. A library could always do that. With the blessing of Yoda and some other of her Jedi Master teachers, they allowed her out of the Temple to visit the grand, giant Coruscant library and it was one of the best days Ana ever had. She was there for hours, smiling as she went through the bookshelves, the floors and rooms full of old books and holobooks. She stayed until it closed and went back to the Temple, the biggest smile on her face. She didn’t go often because she knew that she shouldn’t leave the Temple while she was still considered a learner, but that library was one of her favourite places. 

Ana had been in the library, curled up on the chair for hours before she felt a presence coming over to her. Recognizing the signature instantly, Ana looked up and offered Grandmaster Yoda a smile. The short Jedi Grandmaster offered her a smile back, moving towards her. Ana changed her position so that she was sitting right on the chair, her back straight.

“Knew I would find you here, I did.” she saw him say.

“Yes, Master. I was…taking in some light reading.” Ana answered with a smile. 

The Grandmaster smiled as well.

“Talk to you, may I?” he asked. 

Ana nodded, “of course, Master.”

“Then come,” Yoda told her. Ana got up from the chair and set the holobook pad down on the table beside it before she followed Yoda. 

She looked down at him often to make sure that she would catch him when he wanted to talk to her. He would look back up at her to make sure she understood, but she didn’t want to miss him when he did look up at her.

They walked out of the library together, going slowly. Ana walked with her arms behind her back, showing respect and patience for the Grandmaster. Yoda looked up at her and gave her a smile, “good news, I have to share.”

She gave him a smile and found that he had a wide one back. Ana told him respectably, “I am eager to hear it, Master.”

They walked down the Jedi Temple halls, passing some other masters who gave them smiles and curt nods. Ana did so back before turning her attention back to Yoda. After turning down another hall, Yoda looked up at her and explained, “very exciting, this will be for you.”

“You are leading me with anticipation, master.” Ana said with a smile.

She sees him chuckle and he explains, “talk of your apprenticeship, the Council has.”

Curious, Ana was about to ask him something before she felt another presence coming closer. She already knew they were walking toward Obi-Wan Kenobi before she even looked up to find him. Obi-Wan offered her a smile and the two stopped in front of him. Ana gave him a small bow, “Master Kenobi.”

She looks back up at him and he answers back, “Anallah. I hope that you are doing well.”

The redhead nodded and turned back to Yoda when she saw him look back up at her in the corner of her eye. The Grandmaster told her, “time for you to become a Padawan learner, the Council has agreed.”

Ana’s eyes widen with shock as she looks at him. A Padawan learner? She was confused, but felt a growing pit in her stomach as some excitement started to run through her veins. She gulped and tried to keep her voice even, as she saw Yoda’s smile widen, “Padawan Learner? Master…I don’t understand.”

“To take you as a Padawan Learner, Master Kenobi has agreed.” Yoda explained.

She didn’t think her eyes could widen more, but they did. Speechless, Ana looked up at Obi-Wan and the Jedi Master gave her a smile as well. Both masters could feel her excitement growing.

“If you will have me, of course.” she saw Obi-Wan say.

Ana was still silent in her excitement for a couple of seconds more before she admitted, “I…I’m surprised. You have caught me off guard, Masters.”

Obi-Wan smiled. She was slightly confused. It wasn’t unheard of for Jedi Masters to take multiple Padawan Learners, but she was surprised that it was Master Kenobi who agreed to take her in. She wasn’t particularly close with Obi-Wan, but then again she wasn’t particularly close with any of the Jedi Masters. She did know Obi-Wan a little more than the others though because of his connection with Qui-Gon Jinn…however that was years and years ago. But here she was, being asked to apprentice one of the most respected Jedi in the order, even in the Council. What had she done to deserve this?

“What do you say?” Obi-Wan asked.

Ana smiled and let out a long breath, “I…if you are willing to take me as an apprentice then I accept, Master Kenobi.”

The three of them smiled at each other.


	3. Chapter 3

_** Chapter Three ** _

 

Ana followed Obi-Wan to their new quarters, her one small pack of things from her old quarters hung off of one shoulder. It was a rather…strange feeling. She didn’t really know what to feel. She was excited because she was finally a Padawan learner, one of the oldest in the Temple now. She would have a mentor to train with. She would grow in the ways of the Force and was starting her way to become a Jedi. However, things were still slightly awkward. Neither knew too much about each other yet.

She looked around the small living space, only two couches and a table with a smaller kitchen area. She smiled as she looked around before commenting, “cozy.”

He gave her a smile as well before he motioned to the couches. She nodded and sat on one, settling into the smaller, cream coloured couch as she placed her pack on the ground beside her. She never did like this colour. It looked classy but bland. And it was easy to dirty. But I guess Jedi weren’t supposed to be messy enough to wreck a couch.

Obi-Wan sat across from her and he asked, starting the conversation, “do you have any questions for me?”

Ana stared at him before finally asking, “why did you agree?”

He raised an eyebrow and Ana explained, “why did you agree to take me as a Padawan?”

Obi-Wan nodded once with understanding before he shrugged, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. The Council has been looking for someone for you, but we didn’t know who would fit you best and who had the time. I was one of the people who was suggested and later I offered to accept and the Council agreed.” 

She stared at him, slightly confused.

“Master Yoda made it seem like they were the ones who suggested it and you agreed.” she told him.

“Well that’s what first happened. I was thinking about it, but the Council got one step ahead of me. But I didn’t want to agree until I knew I was prepared.” Obi-Wan explained.

She raised an eyebrow, slightly curious.

“Prepared?” she asked. 

“I learned more sign language for one. I only remembered so much from teaching you when you were younger and I didn’t remember much of anything that Qui-Gon Jinn taught me. I also had Cody, the now Captain of our battalion to learn as well.” Obi-Wan answered.

Ana was surprised. She had the masters learn sign language for her, but only a little for their teaching. She didn’t expect that her Master would learn a language for her, much less made his Captain learn as well. She assumed that if the time came that she would just have to be weary of watching him talk and maybe a couple of hand gestures, but she hadn’t expected that they would learn a whole new language for her!

“I…I have to admit that I am surprised,” Ana told him.

He told him, signing as best he could while he talked, “It’ll take me a little bit to really become fluent, but I’m sure that actually signing with you, I will learn better. I’ll do my best to understand.”

She counted three mistakes, mostly grammar, in the words, but she let him slide. He was learning and was trying and that was more than what a lot of people have done for her.

He nodded, smiling as well. She gave him one back before he looked over at the small kitchen area and asked, “do you want any caf?” 

Ana thought about it before shrugging, “a cup would be great.”

He got up and she watched him go over before making the caf. She didn’t know if he was asking any questions since his back was to her, but she hoped he had some common curtesy. She looked down at her hair that floated over her shoulders and down her chest a little. That was another thing that made her stick out, if people had not seen her hearing aid. There were not many people with red hair, especially people with hair as vibrantly red as her’s. She stuck out quite easily.

Seeing him move again, she looked up and saw him turn around, placing a cup of caf on the table in front of her, keeping on in his hands. She offered him a smile before taking the warm cup in both of her own hands. She looked up at him before taking a sip, “thank you.”

She feels the warmth of the drink fill her veins and she smiled, looking at her new mentor again, waiting for him to take the lead again. She didn’t know how this would go and he had done this before.

“We won’t be going on any new missions soon, so we’ll have time to get to know each other.” Obi-Wan told her. Ana nodded. He asked her after taking a drink, “I’ve heard many call you Ana. Do you prefer that over Anallah?”

The redhead shrugged, “it’s a name that kind of stuck. Kids would call me that when I was younger, then when I was with the younglings I would use it since it wasn’t as long and complicated. It doesn’t matter to me, but Ana is what most besides the Masters call me.”

He nodded and told her, giving her a smile, “Ana it is then.”

She gave him a smile as well. He seemed to read her mind. The shortened version of the name was what she was used to. And she did like it better than her full name. She wondered if he sensed that from her.

After taking a drink of his caf, Obi-Wan asked his new apprentice, “I guess one of the first questions that I have for you is do you know what your strengths and weaknesses are?” It would be a good place to start. He had done the same with Anakin. It was good for one to be self-reflective, know what they can and can’t do. Sometimes the person may be somewhat humble, or not know that a strength they have is such, but it was a good place to start and a good place to build.

Ana thought for a moment, thinking about herself before she answered him, “I guess my some of my strengths are…well my strength.” She gave him a small grin. She was a girl who worked out a lot, especially on her arms. Not too many Masters approved about how much focus she put on working out, but it helped her develop herself in the Force by teaching her self-discipline, trust, and balance and goal setting. And it left her with some pretty good arm muscles. She saw him grin as well, showing at least some approval, which was more than what a lot of Jedi Masters did. Staying in shape was one thing, doing it as excessively as she sometimes did was another thing. She continued, “and I, or at least I believe and what many have told me, have a strong physical connection with the Force. I’m very good at using it as a sensory for what is around me and using it to lift things. I’m good at meditation.”

Obi-Wan agreed with that. It was one of the things that the Jedi Masters have always noticed about her. She had a deeper connection to the Force than anyone of her age, more than a lot of others. He always thought that it was because she relied on the Force more so than others since she didn’t have her ears to tell her when someone was coming close and if there was danger. And he knew that she knew how to tap into her own inner Force connection as well. She had a deep physical connection with the Force. 

“As for weaknesses…I think I would have to say I am not as good as I wish to be with my lightsaber.” Ana answered. She never had too much time to really learn lightsaber wielding. During the lessons she could watch, but would miss a lot of what the Jedi Master would say, so she would copy the best she could. Not to mention that she didn’t have a lot of one on one training, as that mostly came in when a youngling became a Padawan. 

Obi-Wan nodded. She was mature for her age, obviously more than a teenage Anakin, but he was glad that she knew her strengths and weaknesses and what she had to work on. And admitting them was also something he was very proud of. It took some humility, and she didn’t say it embarrassed at all, it was as though she was asking for help. She was eager to learn and that was something Obi-Wan always admired about her.

Ana shrugged, “and…languages. I’m not so good with those. I am fine if it’s written down, I can read it then but I’m afraid that if we are on a planet where no one speaks basic, I’m going to be very lost…more than normal.” She gave him a grin before continuing, “and…I am not so good in crowds. I miss a lot of what is going on around me word wise, so I focus less on the person and more on the surroundings. So…I don’t know how well I could do with crowd control.”

Obi-Wan nodded. That was understandable and it was something that she couldn’t exactly control, at least not easily. He could try and help her to work on it, however he didn’t know her experience on this or to really help her work on that aspect. He didn’t know the background she did. He didn’t know her point of view. It would be a learning experience for both of them, but Obi-Wan was more than willing if she was. Only a fool thought that he was done learning, or knew everything he needed to.

He asked her, starting a small discussion, and to start a boost to their relationship: “I find it interesting that you didn’t mention your intelligence.”

He sipped at his caf as he watched her face change, expressing confusion. She thought for a moment and Obi-Wan waited patiently to what she was going to say. Finally, she admitted to him, “I’m…not quite sure what you mean Master Kenobi.”

He nodded and set his caf back down on his lap, “you’re very smart, Ana. You do know that, don’t you?”

Helping one to see their strengths was something that Obi-Wan always thought was important. Ana may not see herself as smart, but Obi-Wan certainly did and so did many others on the Council.Showing strengths was just as important to him as admitting weaknesses and things to work on because it shows what a person can do.

Ana shrugged and told him, “I don’t think I’m smarter than any other in the Temple, Master.”

He smiled, “would you mind if I challenge that?”

She raised an eyebrow, “comparing intelligence between people does not seem very…Jedi-like, Master.”

He shakes his head, “I’m comparing different types of intelligence, Ana. Can you think of the ways that you are smart?”

She stares at him, slightly confused before she thinks about herself. She tells him, “I guess that…I know a lot. Little things here and there.”

“From all your reading,” Obi-Wan added, “you read a lot and have a very avid thirst for knowledge. As an example, if we were on a mission to a temperate planet, you would know what natural herbs and plants we could eat and which ones we could not because they are poisonous, yes?”

Ana thought for a moment before she answers him, “I guess.”

“And you would be able to know how to read compasses, how to follow a map, even if it was in a language you didn’t know. You know the principles of a map.” Obi-Wan continued.

“I guess.” Ana shrugged, “but don’t most Jedi know this?”

“Not all of them. At least not to the fine details that you do.” Obi-Wan answered, “they may, however, have different intellects that you do not.”

Ana nodded, trying to piece the puzzle together that Obi-Wan was making her do. She answered, “well, I’m not terrific at maths, at least understanding it. I can do it, but I don’t always understand what I am doing.”

“And there are many Jedi who are good at it, but they may not be good at knowing plants or even languages. You admitted that you know languages. You may have the barrier of not knowing them verbally, but you can read them. Not all Jedi can do that either.” Obi-Wan agreed before he said, “and not all Jedi can fluently speak two languages the way you do, especially since you can’t hear yourself with the one.”

Ana shifted in her seat, slightly uncomfortable at the second idea, “but that’s only because I had so much speech therapy. And the other is…well it’s the same but in hand symbol form, like with letters. And I grew up with both. Most don’t grow up with two languages.”

“No they don’t, but I remember even as a child you caught on to sign language fast. You understood when someone pointed at an object and made the gesture and show you the word in basic that it all went together.” Obi-Wan told her, “I remember because that was…”

“Qui Gon.” Ana finished, “your master.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He told her, “he worked a lot with you.”

“He did.” Ana agreed because it was true. He was one of the people to really help her with speech therapy and he also helped her with sign language and putting the two together.

Obi-Wan leaned forward a little and told her, “all I’m saying, Ana, is that when you were listing your strengths you missed something very important. You are very bright. And you learn very quickly, that I do remember from when Qui-Gon taught you and from when even I taught you in your early years.”

“Can I ask what the point of that was?” Ana asked.

Obi-Wan nodded and took a sip of his caf before explaining, “I will admit, Ana, that there will be some difficulties. Although we can transition some things and change others to fit you the best it can such as making nonverbal cues with the men, having the holocoms so that you have to see my image, and I am also hoping that the others will catch on with the language and learn it themselves, or at least enough to help for important words on the missions, but things will not go completely smoothly. There are barriers that you and I will face, that you and the clones will face. You will be learning and I will be learning to and there will be more bumps in the road than most Jedi Masters and their Padawan's would have because you are not just an ordinary Padawan. And, unfortunately, I know that criticism will come. I know that you have been proving your worth at the Temple, but we both know that this is the time where you really show it, that you really start your race because you’re going to have to prove that even though you are deaf that you can be a Jedi. I’m helping you recognize your strengths because I don’t want you to forget that you have them. When those criticisms come people like to focus on what you can’t do and usually the other person getting attacked does the same a lot of the time. But I want you to know your strengths and keep them in mind for when you are going to need them.”

Ana nodded, smiling at the end. Everything he said was true. 

She tells him, “I know it won’t be easy. I know things will have to be changed, even if you and the Captain learn sign language. I know that we will have to change things and things might take longer for me to do. I know I will make mistakes. But I don’t need easy. I don’t even want it. All I want is possible.”

He smiles and promises, “that we certainly can do.”


	4. Chapter 4

**_ Chapter Four _ **

 

“You have quite the aim.” Obi-Wan complimented Ana as she deflected a blaster bolt to the actual blaster, hitting it square on, “it’s your speed and flexibility with your lightsaber that you need to work on.”

Ana looked at him and he looked back at her, making sure he was facing her fully so she could see his lips easier. He also signed when his hands weren’t carrying his lightsaber, but he found that it would be better she could still see him in case he made a mistake so she knew what he was meaning to say anyway. He tried not to make too many comments while the mock blaster was firing so that she could focus on them, at least for now. Once he was sure she could do both well enough simultaneously then he would talk normally, as he did with Anakin when he was teaching him. He had to keep reminding himself to keep his comments to himself until the blaster sequence was over. He knew that she had some practice of deflecting techniques, but a refresher was not bad. Plus, by watching her he could see what he could help her improve on.

Obi-Wan and Ana had been at practice for hours now, almost all morning. They had planned the night before that they would find her a Padawan outfit before going to practice techniques in the morning and then going to meet Cody and the rest of the Attack Battalion. Her and Obi-Wan had spent the rest of the day, and night, just talking. They talked about hand gestures they could use for missions, how he had already talked with Cody and the other men in the 212th that they would have to get used to Cody being by her more than him if they got separated because he was the only clone who could sign so far and who could interpret for her among the other clones, if there were routines they should make for practicing lightsaber techniques, if she had any routine (which she didn’t really, but she liked to work out in the mornings or found it her personal best to meditate at dawn or at sundown), 

And talking did really help her too. It made her feel more at ease with Obi-Wan but it also helped Ana to understand his mouth movements. Although some of them were troubled and hard to really see because of the beard at first and at the start she would piece words that she missed or didn’t quite see right in the sentence, Ana got used to how he talked, the way his mouth moved on certain words. It helped her to get used to his talking.

Finding something hadn’t taken too long. This was something that Obi-Wan didn’t know how to anticipate. With Anakin, finding robes was easy because he knew the boy well, and was a boy himself, finding something was easy. He thought it was best to let her decide on her own and show him when she found something. But Ana had been surprisingly quick. She seemed to know what she was looking for. She had told him something with bare arms because that was what she was comfortable with and it helped free her arms. So she had found something that was a dark brown, tank-top like shirt that moved across her chest like a crisscross before it went down straight. It was made of a tough, thick material. It was comfortable and for how thick it was pretty lightweight, but durable and meant for protection. You couldn’t rip it easily, you could barely get a normal knife through it unless at a particular angle and with enough force. And it had an ability to absorb most of a blaster’s energy so any injury would not be as severe. It had thick and slightly wide straps around the shoulders. Although Obi-Wan didn’t like that they were bare and how he could now see the freckles that sprinkled her shoulders and arms as well as a brown birthmark on her left shoulder, it wasn't the most horrible choice she could make. There were more…provocative looks that female Jedi have taken on and Obi-Wan had respected them as he would respect Ana’s choice. 

She then chose tan, sand-like coloured lightly lose pants, kind of like his. And she wore a black belt where she kept her lightsaber clipped on. She had come out to him, her hands out as a non-verbal ‘is this okay’? And he agreed. They were normal Jedi colours and although they weren’t robes they were practical.

From there they went to the training centre. The started the training with seeing her defensive techniques. He had been easy on her as their two blue lightsabers hit each other, making a small noise each time. He had spotted the obvious problem. Ana had some technique. She had good balance and her stance was good, and for a beginner she had good technique. 

The problem was, Obi-Wan quickly realized, was that the technique she had was of a beginner. She had better flexibility and movement and strength in each move she made than a nine year old Padawan, but the moves were about the same. She didn’t have a lot of guidance on this part. Her defensive techniques were graceful yet cut very concisely, and she had a tight stance, but could still move in it. Soresu was going to come easier to her. She already had that defensive stance in her movements where she wanted to defend herself, not attack. However, he also noticed that her defensive stances could improve as well; she had many wide openings for attacks. 

After, just to see her more of her skill level of technique, he asked her to try and attack him. That was another thing he knew she should work on. Even though Obi-Wan could tell that she tried to keep her stance and confident tightness, the moves were sloppy and her strength wasn’t where it should be. Although Soresu did follow along in attack lightsaber techniques, he knew that Ana should know some techniques in case they were needed to protect herself. From there, they took a small break before he had her try to deflect blasters. He was surprised about how well she was, especially in deflecting back at her target, or away from it but still right where she wanted it to go. However, her stance was tight and she didn’t have the speed and flexibility for them at a greater rate than a couple at a time yet. 

Looking at her mentor, Ana nodded and Obi-Wan offered her a smile, as though trying to tell her that she wasn’t terrible. She had taken all of his criticism well, reflecting on it before doing it to the best of her ability. He could already see from the comments that she was improving, becoming more self-aware of her movements, but Obi-Wan knew that it would take some more time.

Obi-Wan walked over to her and took out his lightsaber as well to demonstrate to her. He moved his head to the side so she could see him clearly and told her, “your wrists are too tight. Your body can stay stiff, however you need more flexibility and comfortability in your arms and wrists. You need to get them to have a natural role so that you can move the lightsaber easily without you moving too much, but to still keep them strong and still when the blasters do hit. That’s how you can keep up with the speed to make sure you don’t get hit.”

Ana nodded and Obi-Wan stepped back and demonstrated as he moved his lightsaber around, his stance still the same. Ana watched him, focusing her attention on his wrists as they moved with ease. His arms sometimes barely moved too, she noticed. When he was done, he looked at her and she stepped back once more to try what he demonstrated. She tried to move her wrists as he did, but there was some strain. Her face twisted slightly and he smiled a little before waving his hand slightly to catch her attention. Ana looked up and he told her, “it’ll come easier with time. Your wrists have to get used to the movement.”

Ana nodded and he told her, “your stance is very good and you will do very well with Soresu. You have a tight, natural movement however your arms are still a little too wide out. You need to keep them in tighter, but your shoulders looser to help with more flexible movement.”

She nodded. Obi-Wan noticed that she hadn’t talked a lot in the past hours. He didn’t know if it was because she was discouraged or because she just didn’t have anything to say. He looked at the time and saw they were getting into the early afternoon. He turns back to her and says as he signs to her, “you have a really good base, a natural defensive stance.”

“I know I wasn’t great,” she told him, “I didn’t expect I would either.”

“You just need guidance and practice. But I believe that you are a quick learner,” Obi-Wan encouraged her, “and you didn’t have many teachings on this level of one-on-one before so it’s understandable at first you aren’t where you want to be. But you have a lot of potential.”

She watched him and took his words to heart. Ana gave him a smile and nodded, “thank you.”

He smiled as well and tells her, “I think we had enough lightsaber practice for the day, don’t you? Perhaps we should get something to eat before going to meet Cody and the rest of the Attack Battalion.”

Ana smiled as well and nodded in agreement. She answered verbally, moving the lightsaber to her new belt, “that sounds good.”

Obi-Wan waited for her and shut off the equipment before both he and Ana left. Moving down the hallway together, when passing other Jedi Masters they gave respectful nods and smiles, but Ana stayed silent. The new apprenticeship was very different. She was in a different room and a different bed than what she had been used to for years. The covers were different, they felt slightly stiffer, and furniture was on the other side of the room than her old room. It took her a little while to get comfortable and fall asleep, but she finally did at an odd hour of the early morning. It was still new to be called a ‘padawan’, especially to a respected Jedi Master like Obi-Wan. It was weird to wake up the next morning with someone close and to make some morning caf in their own shared space instead of going to the mess hall. 

Entering the mess hall, it was almost deserted. There were a couple of younglings eating and talking with each other. It was later in the afternoon. Ana shrugged it off before her and Obi-Wan got their trays before sitting down. Both were mostly silent since Obi-Wan knew they couldn’t get a long conversation going if she couldn’t see his lips to know what he was saying.

After sitting down, it was Ana who decided to start talking first. Signing as she talked so he would be around it more and could pick it up easier, or learn new signs to words he didn’t know they belonged to yet.

“How does Anakin feel about you taking another Padawan?” Ana asked him, her fingers moving with ease.

Obi-Wan thought for a moment before answering, signing the best that he could as well: “I think he was surprised, but he’s not upset or anything if that is what you are worried about.”

Ana nodded, starting to eat before Obi-Wan asked her, “you and Anakin trained sometime together, if I remember correctly.”

Ana nodded again, “a long time ago. He became your apprentice very shortly after coming though so it wasn’t for very long. And it was only a couple of times. He was two years older than me too.”

Obi-Wan nodded, remembering that there wasn’t a large age difference in his former and new apprentice. An interestingly, both were nineteen when entering and participating in the Clone Wars.

“So you are the same age as Master Luminara Unduli’s padawan.” Obi-Wan commented, saying his words slowly as he signed the Jedi Master’s name per letter.

Ana smiled slightly. He was putting in a lot of effort and she was touched. She tells him, “yes, Bariss and I are the same age. We trained a lot together growing up. I know her well.” Although they did train together Bariss was shy to talk to others. It was also to keep respects of not foreign attachments, though being friendly. They knew each other and were friendly, but they did not talk too much. 

She put her fork down and told him, “also, you can create signs for people’s names so you aren’t constantly spelling them out. Deaf people are supposed to give them to you. It can combine names with personalities, things like that.”

Obi-Wan nodded, remembering that. And she had signed their names differently, but he didn’t know what they meant specifically but thought he could catch on by himself. And he knew that sometimes naming people in sign was sometimes a personal thing for the deaf person to decide. He didn't know which was a good question or not.

“So, for Master Luminara, I use the signs ‘teacher’ as I do for all of the Jedi Masters, and then the sign for big then light. Like she is a person of light in the darkness, and it matches her name with luminous and light.” Ana explained.

Obi-Wan nodded and commented, “you have name signs for all the Jedi Masters?”

Ana nodded, “it’s just simpler than spelling them out, but I did get quick at spelling things out by doing that before I researched more about the culture and some…norms in it.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He didn't know that it was something she researched, or something that she even needed to.

“Can I ask what mine is?” Obi-Wan asked.

Ana smiled and signed the name. He recognized the sign for teacher, but not the other.

“Can I ask what that means?” he asked.

“It’s basically means a centre in orbit.” Ana answered.

“So I’m the centre of attention?” he asked jokingly.

Ana chuckled and clarified, “more like people are drawn to you and you hold things together and in balance.”

Obi-Wan smiled, flattered by how she called him. He wondered what everyone else’s name was, but he was sure he would learn those soon as well. 

“Do you have a name sign for yourself?” Obi-Wan asked.

Ana shook her head, “No. Other deaf people are supposed to give it to you and since I haven’t met any I don’t have a name sign. Not to mention but my name is easy to spell by letter because it’s just the thumb going across my knuckles and back.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows shot up in confusion.

“You never met another deaf person before?” he asked.

Ana was now confused. She answered him, “No. The only people I know are here or are clones and no one else here is deaf.”

“You’re not connected to any deaf people then?” Obi-Wan asked.

Ana shook her head. He was surprised that the Order never gave her a connection like that. Although Ana couldn’t form attachments, he thought that it was important for her to connect with someone who was also deaf. Perhaps that was something he could look into. He didn’t know exactly what he could do, but surely she wasn’t the only deaf person on Coruscant. Did she not have a connection at all to her culture? If she didn’t know anyone from the deaf community then how did she connect with it? He had heard of deaf culture and it’s community, but he also knew that with the access of audio implants that was easily accessible on most planets that it was a culture that was quickly dying out except for certain planets where the majority of it’s citizens were deaf like Trukki in the Outer Rim. Maybe that was why she had to read up on the deaf community and what many did in it.

“Is that something you would want?” Obi-Wan asked, “it just seems to me that you don’t have a connection with your own culture.”

“Well I know…of it.” Ana answered a little self consciously, “I know how it changes on different planets, especially based on their values.”

That was something that Obi-Wan didn’t know. She read his expression and explains, “well it’s like going from one planet to the next. You all hear, there are humans on other planets, but not every culture is the same, sometimes not even the language is the same.”

He nods, “that’s fair. Can I ask how they change?”

Ana shrugs, trying to think of a simple way to think of something, “well, I don’t know everything for certain. I never really discussed it with other deaf people. It depends greatly on people who are deaf in a hearing based environment and the environment being deaf-based, like on Trukki where the population is born without ears because of the sound vibrations that echo between their six moons and how they quickly move. It’s one of the reasons why if people go there they usually come back with sickness, ear infections and even sometimes popped eardrums if it is during the months where they move more rapidly than others. Such as, it’s not…well it’s not exactly bad but it’s not widely accepted either to talk while you sign. On planets like Trukki and other planets with a wider population of people who are deaf and hard of hearing believe that sign language is our language and that’s what we need so if we learn Basic or another language it is like we are forced into it and it is unneeded. On Trukki the only people who can speak are in the government and they only speak it when meeting with international people. There are even different sign languages, such as a universal basic one, but then planets can have their own, such as Trukki. But even on planets where the majority are hearing, not a lot of people speak Basic, but it is more widely accepted, but from one planet to the next it could become more accepted or more taboo than the next. Some deaf people do speak Basic, some don’t. It usually depends on the family or the individual, if they were given speech therapy like me. There are a lot of different factors. I speak and sign though because sign is my first language, but I’m around people who don’t speak it…or very often. I was also given a lot of speech therapy so I’m comfortable speaking. And I also talk while I sign because you are learning and you won’t learn if you see a sign but don’t know the word that I mean. When you get more comfortable with sign then I’m sure we can sign without speaking.”

He nods, quite interested. However, Obi-Wan was beginning to think that perhaps he should do his own research. He didn’t realize that he was so clueless until talking with Ana. But he was still surprised that she didn’t know her culture more hands on. There were Jedi where Basic was their second language and the language of their planet was their first and they still had a connection. He wondered if the reason Ana didn’t have the same option was because she was from Couscant, not a world with a large deaf culture.

He asked her, “is there a way you want to connect to your culture?”

Ana stared at him and bit her lip as she thought over her words carefully. This wasn’t something that she specifically wanted to talk about. Even though Obi-Wan was her mentor now, it was still a personal question. And she knew that her answer would be long and he might not completely understand. 

She finally answered, “um…could we talk about this later? It’s kind of personal.”

He raised his eyebrows again, “you don’t have a connection, do you?”

Ana shrugged, “no but…lets not talk about it.”

Deciding that he wouldn’t push her, he began eating again and Ana ate some of her lunch as well. She looks back up at him and explains, “it’s just…confusing and long and I’d rather not do it until I’m completely sure what I want to say too.”

He nods and tells her, “I’ll be ready to listen whenever you want to talk about it.”

She gave him a smile, “thank you, Master.”

He couldn’t help but smile back. One of the perks of having an older padawan was the maturity and conversation. Anakin asked a lot of questions when he was younger and manners were not exactly his forte, although they still weren’t now. There was mutual understanding as well. Ana wasn’t hyper like Anakin either, and she listened to instructions and didn’t get frustrated. Intellect was also something that the two were close with as well. Of course Anakin was young and couldn’t help these things, but there was a calming difference. He hoped that it would be the same on the battlefield. He knew that it would be somewhat chaotic at first since only a couple of people could speak her language that she was with, one of them wearing a helmet so even if he said something she still wouldn't know. So he hoped that their first mission wasn’t a full blown battle. He at least hoped she could follow orders better.

Ana tried to turn the conversation as they ate so that it wasn’t in silence.

“I’m guessing if the Captain knows about me then the rest of the Attack Battalion does as well.” Ana commented.

Obi-Wan nodded, swallowing and signing ‘yes’ before answering verbally as he tried to sign as well, “yes. They have all been informed. I don’t believe all of them are expecting you today, but they were aware that sometime this week I would introduce you.”

Ana nodded. She didn’t like catching people off guard, same as how she felt about those situations. A surprise could be normal, but being completely turned in a 360 rotation was another thing. At least they were prepared to know that they would be working with a deaf Commander. She wondered how all of them would…like their new commander, especially a deaf one. She had met a lot of clones and most of them were nice enough not to say anything rude and respect her, but working with her was another thing. But she doubted that anyone judgemental would slip past Master Kenobi.

It didn’t stop her any less from being nervous and wanting to make a good impression. Ana was already nervous about going on a mission. If anything went seriously wrong it could be a termination of her Padawan status, or at least make it be placed on hold until after the war.

Obi-Wan felt her slight anxiousness and he tells her, hoping to ease some of her nerves: “they are all nice. They’ll be curious and might ask questions and some of them will probably act awkward around you at first, but they are nice. And if you need any help, Cody will also be there.”

Ana gave him a smile to show that his assurance was not in complete vain.

“Thank you. That makes me feel slightly better.” she tells him.

Of course, Ana was still nervous as she and Obi-Wan made their way to the barracks. She had never been there before and didn’t know her way around. So, she was sure she was following him at his heels pathetically as she did follow him. As they got closer she saw more clones. Most of them wore helmets so she couldn’t know if she recognized them completely. She recognized some, she was sure, but she couldn’t really be sure. They didn’t seem to recognize her though because every clone they went past would stop and their gaze would follow them for at least a couple of seconds before they went back to what they were doing.

Obi-Wan was not oblivious to the stares either. He turns his head and tells her in a joking tone, hoping that it would show on his face, “I hope you enjoy being the centre of attention.”

The joke helped Ana to crack a smile for him. She answers him, “I should be used to it. My hair kind of makes me stick out.”

He chuckles and answers her, “you do have a very bright red tone.”

She smiles and giggles lightly before Obi-Wan made it to a specific hallway. She follows him, looking around to take everything in before she is suddenly in a large training area. She didn’t need to hear to know how chaotic and fast-paced the atmosphere was. She saw a couple of clones on an above level, where they were, and over the edge she could just see the rest of the Battalion running drills, working together to catch holographic enemy droids of different kinds.

Ana just managed to catch Obi-Wan’s “ah, in some quick training I see”.

She wanted to ask what he meant, since she was sure that they came here because he expected that they would be training, but she left it alone. There were more important matters. Ana followed him as they walked cross the small tarmac to the three clones. She could see yellow on the worn armour. None were wearing helmets, rather they were set off to the side, and the one on the far left noticed them first as they were closely approaching. That clone nudged the middle and the other two looked over their shoulders as well. They immediately turned around and stood at attention to them. 

“General, Sir.” The one in the middle said.

Obi-Wan offered them smiles. Ana did as well, wanting not her nerves to get the best of her. They stopped in front of them respectfully and Ana turned to the side so that she could easily see all of their faces. 

“Afternoon. I see that we are gettign some extra training in.” Obi-Wan commented.

“Yes, Sir. We got a couple of batches of shines and we thought with the time that we could get them to practice with the rest of us as whole to help ease them in,” the one in the middle answered.

Ana’s mentor nodded in agreement, “that’s not the worse idea in the galaxy. While there is time, one might as well make good use of it.”

Obi-Wan finally turned to her and smiled before explaining, “I thought that I would introduce you to our new Commander.”

The clones turned to the red head and nodded. The one on the left smiled and commented, bringing his hand down first as the rest did theirs slowly, “so this is our new recruitment.”

Ana smiled and gave a small nod and the middle clone stepped forward. She sees a deep and thick scar going from his left brow down to the side of his cheek. He didn’t have any facial tattoos like some of the other clones and his hair was of the traditional buzz-cut. 

“Captain Cody at your service Commander Staphos.” the clone introduced, signing his introduction as well, “this is Radar and Rowe.”

He finger signed their names as well to make sure that she didn’t misinterpret their names. She nodded and gave the other two a smile as well. 

“Nice to meet you.” Ana told them, signing as well.

“We were just watching some training.” Cody explained, still signing, “you are welcomed to join. Radar and Rowe are up here because they are our best air strikers, so they help me with overseeing on the ground training.”

Radar smiles. He has a tattoo of a thin ‘R’ beside his left eye and his buzz cut was a lot more closely shaven. 

“It’s more like a self promotion, Commander.” he explained, making all of them smile, “but I won’t stay completely humble about it either.”

“Radar actually had a really good idea about how to personalize and tailor some of our equipment and fighters for you.” Obi-Wan explained, going back to signing as well.

Ana raised her eyebrow and Rowe told them, “I’ll oversee the rest of the training. you all go off together.”

Cody nodded and turned back to Ana, “well, Sir, I’ll show you around.”


	5. Chapter 5

_** Chapter Five ** _

 

“So, this is where we keep our Company’s speeders.” Cody explained both verbally and in sign as he, Ana, Radar, and Obi-Wan walked into a new large, grey metal or filled with speeders, small and slightly bigger ships, and other different mechanical works for the war. She had never used any of these things before, but she did know the basics of how they worked.

“You ever flown before?” Radar asked, turning so she could see him.

Ana shook her head, “never. I’ve only even left the ground in meditation.”

Cody grinned, “this should be fun. Hopefully you have more confidence than the General.”

Ana looked over at Obi-Wan and giggled at his teasing, unimpressed look.

“As long as you are better than Anakin. That’s where most of the fears came from, I’m sure.” Obi-Wan commented with a grin. Ana couldn’t help but giggle and while the clones chuckled as well.

Obi-Wan led them to a specific one-man ship. It was red with two blue and one gold stripe at the front near the point. Obi-Wan leaned against it and turned back to face her. He told her, patting the front of it.

“This will be your specific fighter.” Obi-Wan told her.

Ana raised an eyebrow.

“Mine, specifically?” she asked.

“Well, it’s the one that Radar worked on specifically to change some of the programming for you, so we’ll have you use it the most since it is tailored to you.” Obi-Wan explained while Radar went to some other fighters and grabbing the headsets. 

Ana nodded and when her mentor motioned for her to get in, she did so carefully, scared that she would get her foot caught on something and fall into the seat and somehow manage to bang her head on the other side as well. She was already the Deaf Padawan and she didn’t know what her troops would think of that. The last thing she wanted to be was the klutzy Padawan and make a bad and humiliating impression on the clones he first met.

Settling into the seat, she was slightly surprised. It looked more cramped than it was, but now that she was in it she realized that she had a lot of arm room and was slightly too small for the standard seat. She realized that it was because the seats were more set for the clones while it being a general for the other users, but she could sit comfortably in it. The redhead looked up at the three men so that she wouldn’t miss them talking to her.

Radar leaned in a bit and told her as he moved his hands over the controls.

“This one turns it on.” Radar explained quickly and soon Ana felt the vibrations of the fighter start up and she was levitated off the ground. Slightly surprised by the actions since she didn’t hear it start for a couple of seconds, she got comfortable again and looked wordlessly at Radar, wondering what he was going to do next.

The clone talked a little excitedly as he leaned into the fighter a little bit.

“So these are the controllers, but I was playing around one day with all the programming on the screens. You can change them from time to time about what they are looking for, what to focus on, information systems, all that stuff. So when the General told me about you and how there would be certain things that would need to be tailored to you, I wondered if I could switch and play with the programming enough…” Radar was rambling on.

Ana turned her head when he did, trying to follow what he was saying but a lot of the time he was going pretty fast, and sometimes his head would move as he gestured over the controls. Although for the most part he tried to keep his face looking towards her, his lips were moving too fast for her to easily follow. She tried looking at the controls and his mouth, trying to get everything before Obi-Wan sensed how lost she was. He cleared his throat and told Radar, interrupting him.

“Radar, I know that you are excited, but you are going to need to slow down.” Obi-Wan told him, holding out his hand so that it was an indication that Ana knew that he was talking as well. She looked over at him and just caught his words before looking back at Radar. 

The clone cleared his voice and told her, “Sorry, Commander.”

Ana gave him a smile, “don’t worry too much. Just slow down and face me when you talk. Keep going.”

He nodded, smiling a little again at her encouragement before he returned, pointing to the screen and gesturing his hand around it before looking at her.

“Anyway, I played with the settings and found one that will give out messages on the screen.” Radar told her, facing her before stepping back. Ana watched him put on one of the head sets from the other fighters. After setting it on, he turned it on and then pressed a certain button on the helmet before saying into it “This is Radar - CT 4779, Fighter 3804 link microphone to Fighter 3885.”

Instantly the words came up on the screen like a holonet chat room. Ana read the words he just spoke and instantly her entire face brightened as she leaned in closer to look at the screen closer, as though what she was seeing wasn’t real. Her expression changed to show a large, toothy smile.

“That is brilliant!” Ana exclaimed excitedly, reading the words over again before looking at Radar.

“This is so you can still be in communication with all the other fighters. You can talk into your head set and it’ll come up as well, but everyone else who channels in on the same line will come up on the screen. That way you can still be a part of everything and it’ll help you know what is going on.” Radar explained with a smile on his face, every word showing up on her screen.

Ana read it, looking up at him and back down at the screen every once in a while as he talked. It made her smile that the clones had already started working on ways to get her involved and part of the group. Radar didn’t have to do this, even if coming upon it by accident. He certainly didn’t need to look more into it and find out how it worked so she could use it. It made things seem more…real and it made her feel more welcome. They were finding ways to include her, even going out of their way for it.

“It’ll project itself up when the cover is down so you can see it more easy when you are flying.” Radar explained, giving her a smile.

“This is amazing,” Ana told him, still in amazement as she saw both of their faces.

Obi-Wan moved to the other side of the fighter and leaned on it, looking at her and telling her, “we have yet to find a way to make something like this work on the _Negotiator_ but we’re working on adding some new programming. It’ll go through some tech changes soon. The Council has been thinking about sending us out on a small mission so it’ll probably be after that.”

Both Ana and Cody cocked their heads to the side in slight confusion.

“Mission?” Ana asked.

“Nothing big. The Council wants us to see if there is any Separatist involvement on Makeb. It won’t be a large group, only about ten of us if even.” Obi-Wan told them. Ana had no doubt this was when Cody was first hearing about this as well. The Jedi Master seemed to read their faces and told them, “I only heard about it a couple of days ago, but the Council is still unsure who to send, but I think they’ll take us. It’ll be a good first experience for you, Ana. It will be a lighter mission without a lot of chaos we can sometimes get into.”

Ana nodded, looking back at Cody to see him shrug.

“It’ll also be a good way for you to get a small run-down and meet some of the men.” Cody told her, signing as well.

Ana thought about it. It was true. She would get some experience, going slow at first before being thrown into a battle that could be a lot harder. And it would give her time to know Cody more…and teach both he and Obi-Wan sign language and perfect it. She had a list in her head of some of the things they are doing wrong that she could correct, just to make things easier on her. Plus, she would get used to talking with some of the clones.

“Sounds great.” Ana told them, “do you know when we will be leaving?”

“Most likely within the next coup—.” Obi-Wan stopped and looked up at something else. The other clones did as well. Slightly confused, Ana moved in the seat and tried to look out the back of the fighter as best as she could looking over the side. She wasn’t tall enough to look back and see anything so she looked at Obi-Wan again and saw him smiling and talking to someone.Confused she looked over at Cody.

“What’s going on?” 

The clone looked down at her and told her, “General Skywalker and Commander Tano have walked in.” 

Ana smiled and moved up out of the ship to then see Ahsoka and Anakin Skywalker walking towards them. Smiles on their faces as they talked with Obi-Wan. Radar helped her out and she gave him a smile as a thank you before looking back at Ahsoka. The Togruta smiled and waved to her. Anakin’s attention caught on her as well and Ana gave him a smile as well.

"You look great!" Ahsoka signed.

Ana looked down at herself and smiled before looking up at her.

"Thank you." she silently replied back.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stared at the Togruta Padawan with surprise.

“Snips, you know sign language?” Anakin asked.

Ahsoka nodded, “only a little. I learned a bit before I was a Padawan.”

Anakin nodded, though still a little shocked before he turned to Ana. The redhead gave him a smile and stood beside Obi-Wan. 

“So you’re my Master’s new Padawan.” Anakin commented, looking her over and giving her a smile, “It’s nice to officially meet you. I don’t think we’ve ever really met.”

Ana gave him a smile and told him, “it’s nice to officially meet you too.”

“No offence, but I thought you would be younger.” Anakin told her. 

Not knowing exactly what to say, Ana shrugged and Cody walked up beside her. Cody signed as he talked so Ana looked at him to know he was saying something, “so did I, but I’m glad I won’t be helping to take care of a little kid…you know, like Rex.”

Ahsoka playfully narrowed her eyes at him.

“Har-har.” Ahsoka said in an unamused tone and Anakin chuckled. Ana smiled, amused as well.

Anakin looked back at his old Master, “what are you doing here?”

Ana looked at Obi-Wan to catch what he was saying, “Radar was showing Ana some of the equipment we’ve changed for her and showing her how her new fighter works.”

“Going somewhere?” Anakin asked him.

“In a couple of days the Council may send us to Makeb to see if there are any Separatist inclination there.” Obi-Wan answered.

“A Hutt planet? You never know. It may not be completely settled but there may be something.” Anakin commented.

“That’s what we will be looking for.” Obi-Wan agreed.

Anakin smiled and looked between them.

“Well, it sounds like you’ll be having fun.” Anakin told them, “Ahsoka and I are on our way to see how the repair on our ship and speeders are going.”

“Some survived your latest mission then?” Obi-Wan joked.

Anakin rolled his eyes, “some, yes. We better get going. We both have something to do.” 

The four Jedi nodded before Anakin and Ahsoka said their goodbyes and left. Ana looked at Obi-Wan and he told them, “we could show you around the Negotiator and show you some of the other equipment.” 

Ana smiled, “sounds good.”


	6. Chapter 6

**_ Chapter Six _ **

 

“What if for flank we use the Forn hand signal and then signal where to go?” Ana asked Cody, making the movement with her hand. Obi-Wan watched Cody copy it and smiled.

“That seems easy enough to follow,” Cody agreed as the other clones watched the interaction intently.

The flight to Makeb was shorter than Ana expected. She had never been anywhere except Coruscant, so she didn’t know how time passed when going to other planets. She spent most of the time in the Bridge, making plans with Obi-Wan and Cody. Our ship was much smaller than the Negotiator, but it was so we could land discreetly in a mountain-like place, or at least a place hidden on higher ground and in trees. 

Ana looked out the window. She could appreciate the new look. All she had seen was a large metropolis, but the trees and clear water was a completely new and lovely sight. Ana found herself smiling and Obi-Wan looked over at her. In the past couple of days since she had looked over the speeders and ships they had trained daily after setting up their plan with Cody for Makeb after the Council affirmed their mission. Ana had also set up things around their quarters, some type of sensory matt before the main door and the door to her room specifically that would then turn on lights, that she also set up, so that they would flash when on someone stepped on them. That way she would know someone was coming into the room. He also helped her set up alarms that were twice as loud as normal and had flashing lights so that she would be alerted if an alarm went off for any reason. With the added volume she would most likely hear it, but it was more for the vibrations and lights. He also watched her set up an alarm that would flash lights and would vibrate on the bed if she set it there. They had talked a bit more, but most time was spent for practicing her lightsaber techniques. He planned that they would save some time in the mission for some training as well. Obi-Wan was not planning on having to call for reinforcements, as the sightings were mostly widely spread rumours with no droids to back it up, but the Hutts could bring in certain company and sometimes Separatists did come to scout out before invasion. If they could stop it ahead of time they would. Obi-Wan only hoped that it wouldn’t come to that because they only brought a small amount of clones. Ten was enough for cover, but certainly not enough if there was going to be a group, which was why Master Mundi was ready with his own battalion if it was needed.

He was rather looking forward to the scouting mission. It would be Ana’s new mission and unlike Ahsoka’s it would be much calmer, which was what Ana needed. They needed some time to talk and plan with Cody and to discuss things like hand signals, which they were doing now. Ana had tried to hold in her excitement when she asked if they would be sleeping outside instead of on the ship and although it would give them better shelter, there were not enough beds for everyone since a room would go to Ana alone. But Obi-Wan agreed that it would be nice to sleep under the stars and he could sense her excitement. He realized that this was probably the first time that she has seen first hand nature and trees like this. Most of her life, if not all of it besides getting her saver crystal, would have been spent on Coruscant. Seeing wildlife and nature like this would have only been through holoimages.

So they agreed to make camp outside for the night. It was almost dark on Makeb so he, Ana, and Cody agreed to go talk to the city leaders tomorrow. Now, the party of twelve were sitting on their bedrolls on the dirt, a fire around them. Cody had introduced the clones after they left ship, signing to Ana their names as well: "This is Crys, Peg, Disc, Cinders, Longshot, Waxer, Coin, Boil, and our medic Nova". Ana could tell that the other clones were mesmerized by the finger movements and how she and Cody communicated with the movements as they talked, but so far they were not saying anything, just watching and coming into the conversation to suggest certain hand signals. 

Obi-Wan mostly stayed out of it, letting Ana discuss this with Cody themselves since they were the ones to create the signals together and Cody would be the one to use them for her and teach the other clones. They agreed that the other clones with them now would learn them, and then Cody would instruct the others and would also be involved in explaining the signals to other battalions if the 212th went into battle with other clones.

“What is your normal signal for ‘stop’ or ‘attention’?” Ana asked.

“We are used to the closed fist for that. Will it make a difference if we use that instead of the sign for ‘stop’?” Cody asked, signing slowly as well to try and get used to it.

Ana made the correct gesture, “this is ‘difference’, and no if that is what you are used to I can go along with that. It’s not a big change.”

When she corrected him, Cody copied the gesture a couple of times before Ana nodded and smiled, “like that, yes.”

“What about when you want us to go a certain direction?” Peg asked Cody. With Ana’s back turned to him slightly, she missed the question and Cody pointed to Peg before signing the question to her.

Ana gave Peg a small smile and told the group as she made the gestures, “I can most likely point, or motion to the direction. Not to mention you will still hear me. This is so you can quickly communicate with me. You will most likely be making the gestures, or at least Cody will, to me. I can’t see your faces through your helmets.”

Crys nodded and asked, “will you have to…do our names like that when talking specifically to us, or Cody to tell us who he is talking about?”

Ana shrugged and answered, “we’ll probably have to sign at first. Cody does it now just to make sure that I understand your names when we are talking but…well if you want I can make name signs for you as well.”

That seemed to catch the clones attentions. All of them immediately straightened their backs in attention. She easily recognized their curious expressions.

“You mean, there are specific name signs for people?” Waxer asked curiously and slightly cautiously.

Ana nodded, giving them a smile and looking at all of them.

“So we make them?” Coin asked.

“No…which is why I feel I would need your permission, maybe collectively as a whole or individually because I know that names are important to you all. I explained this to Obi-Wan a couple of days ago. A deaf person can give a person a name sign, something that they feel goes with their personality, fits in the person…basically sign that identifies and fits its suitor.” Ana explained, “so it would be me creating it based on your personality traits, if it makes sense with your name, things like that. So when you sign your name-sign to someone they can understand a part of you.”

“Wouldn’t it make sense for someone to make a name sign for themselves?” Coin asked.

Ana shrugged and explained, still signing to keep Obi-Wan and the clones exposed to it so they could recognize words in signs, “maybe, but you aren’t really objective then, are you? And it’s a part of the deaf culture, like how naming yourselves or each other, is a part of clone culture and having parents name their children is predominantly non-clone culture. Names have different purposes in each culture.” 

Ana didn’t know how they would respond to that. She could sense their curiosity and slight confusion. She gave them a small smile. She still didn’t really know any of them, so it was hard to gauge their reactions. And she wasn’t completely sure how to talk with them because she was technically their superior, however she had seen Obi-Wan talk to them as though they were friends of some sort. Not very close friends, but friends. She hoped that talking to the clones would help her get to know them and how to work with them, but she knew that she couldn’t speak to every clone since they came in large amount of batches, but she figured that this group was one she would see often. They were the ones Obi-Wan and Cody had thought of first to participate in an important scout-out, meaning that they had been in the Battalion for a long time and were highly trusted and dependable. They would be the ones that would be picked again for important jobs and titles if it was needed. So Ana hoped to at least get somewhat close with them.

“So…they are all different?” Boil asked, his tone more hard for a curious tone, but he was interested in the idea, “the signs I mean.”

Ana nodded, nodding her hand as well, “Yes. Such as, for Obi-Wan this is his name sign.”

Ana made the sign and Cody watched it carefully before repeating the sign as well. Ana turned her head to him again and told him as she stopped, “you could do that when referring to Obi-Wan. If you just signed ‘General’ and we were working with another General it can get confusing, so if you just did that sign referring to ‘General Kenobi’ it would be easier, and quicker.”

Cody nodded, making the gesture again. Although Cody wasn’t really sure about signing the General with his name and not GAR title, it would be a lot quicker to sign in battle and when talking. Ana gave him a smile of approval to show that he did it right before explaining to him, still signing, “until I give name signs, if choosing, when I see your lips you can just sign the first letter of the person’s name…and move your wrist when you do it. But that can be hard if you have your helmet on because a lot of you have names that start with the same letter, so you can sign the first and last letter of the person’s name.”

Cody nodded and asked, “so I would be ‘C’ and ‘Y’?”

Ana nodded, making the approving gesture as well.

“Exactly. When we start working with other Generals and Commanders I have name signs for I’ll teach them to you.” Ana answered.

Waxer spoke next, relaxing on his bedroll again. 

“If, per-say, we did give you permission to give us names, what would mine be?” Waxer asked. 

Cody motioned to Waxer again and Ana looked over at him. 

“Can you repeat that?” Ana asked.

“If we did allow you to give us name signs, what would mind be?” Waxer asked.

Ana shrugged, “like I said, I have to get to know you first. There are name signs that basically fit in with the actual name, like the name ‘Gunner’ or ‘Hunter’ being an actual gun sign, or ‘Ava’ the bird sign or something very close with an Aurek and I could do that…in which case your name would be the sign for ‘wax’, but so far you are ‘WAXER’.” Ana signed the letters a little more quickly than Cody, used to the signing.

Waxer watched her make the letters before he tried to make the motion himself. Ana saw him struggle and she modelled each letter for him again. 

“W-A-X-E-R.” Ana commented the letter verbally as she signed it, watching Waxer copy her. He smiled afterwards and Ana signed the letters quickly.

“I think you have a long way till signing as fast as that, Captain.” Peg joked.

Cody rolled his eyes and Peg turned to look directly at the Commander.

“What’s my name in sign?” The heavily scarred clone asked.

“P-E-G.” Ana answered, modelling each sign letter so Peg could follow, moving his fingers make the letters as well. Ana smiled. She was glad that the clones had taken an interest in her language. It may not be to forming sentences yet, but it was a start that they showed interest in learning. Even Obi-Wan was smiling. He was a touch bit worried about how the clones would react to Ana. He knew they wouldn’t make their views verbally known, but this was the first time they would be working closely with a female and with someone who was deaf. He was slightly grateful that they at least worked with Ahsoka so the idea wasn’t completely new and they had been through the procedures of camping with a female. There were new challenges and they would have to change some things, such as how to communicate with her in a language that most of them, if not all, would have never seen before. They wouldn’t be able to just talk to her unless she could see their lips. Unfortunately they would most likely have to talk through Cody when their helmets were on and make sure they speak clearly and slowly when their helmets were off, as well as making sure to go in turns since she couldn’t focus on three people at once. But he hoped that using sign language around them would peak an interest and that maybe Cody would teach them more of her language and other ques to make with her.

Cody waved his hand to get her attention again and Ana looked towards him. Cody asked her, “is there a difference between signing a ‘Captain’, ‘Commander’, ‘General’, ‘Admiral’ or other titles like that?”

“Not particularly…but if the difference needs to be made you can just sign ‘Captain’ and then for Commander do the sign for…higher, I guess? I would understand what you meant and so would others if they sign. So Commander could be ‘high’ ‘Captain’, as in higher than the Captain, and then for General make the motion of high Captain/Commander with a Grek so I understand it as ‘General’. For Admiral you could do Captain or higher Captain with an Aurek. Lieutenant could be ‘Captain’ with a Leth.” Ana answered, modelling the signs as well.

“So technically you would be ‘high’ ‘Captain’ ’S-T-A-P-H-O-S’?” Cody asked. 

Ana nodded, a smile on her face, “technically yes. But you don’t have to sign all that. You could just say ‘high’ ‘Captain’ and Senth.” 

Cody nodded, repeating the signs to get used to making them. Ana gave him a smile. She was glad to be talking with Cody. She was getting used to how his lips moved, but she already noticed from talking with the other clones that their lips formed words differently from each other. She would have to make sure she double checked what they said when she wasn’t sure what they said to avoid too much confusion. Obi-Wan moved to wave his hand to catch her attention again. Both Ana and Cody turned and Obi-Wan both signed and spoke to them, “we better get some rest. We will be out at dawn to meet the mayor.”

“Mayor? No one higher up?” Ana asked.

“Highest person in the district, and this is where the reports came from.” Obi-Wan answered.

Ana nodded and moved down more in the bedroll. She looked over at Obi-Wan and caught him talking with Cody about Peg and Cinders taking first watch. The other clones began talking to each other and Ana shrugged it off as everyone went to get some rest besides the two clones. Obi-Wan looked at her and she gave him a small smile and signed a goodnight. He did the same, though the sign was slightly off. She rested down and looked up at the sky. She wished that the ambient light from the city wasn’t there so she could see the stars, but the new wilderness was a nice change from the city she had known all her life. Although she was slightly confused as to why they came a night early, but she wouldn’t question Obi-Wan. 

Closing her eyes she soon found rest.

 

* * *

 

 

A shiver going up her spine fast made Ana wake up. Her eyes flickered open and she sat up quickly. It was still dark out, the fire was now also dimmed a bit. Ana looked to her left and out past the trees and to the mountains. She stared for a while before she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped out of her skin and whirled around, her training coming into play and she had almost elbowed the clone, whom she soon realized was Coin, in the nose. She would have had she not looked back. She saw his surprise and he immediately took a bit of a step back.

“Sorry Commander.” Ana saw him say. She realized that he had tried to get her attention before. She would have to remind herself to tell them how to get her attention without scaring her, “something wrong?”

“Has there been anything by tonight? Ana asked him.

Coin shook his head.

“No. It’s been quiet all night,” he answered her.

She looked over at the mountains before looking back at the clone.

“Do you have specs?” Ana asked him.

The clone replied by quickly getting them out. Ana took them and looked towards the mountains. She adjusted them to look in the distance darkness. She saw the more clear pictures of the mountains and trees. Everything was clear, in fact there was literally nothing moving. There were no animals around.

And no people and droids.

Ana squinted and looked over the perimeter one more time. She still had the feeling of something prickling up her spine. Something wasn’t right. She had no idea what it was though. She had no idea why the Force was sending a warning. It had surely woke her for something, but she couldn’t see a threat, or sense one close enough to them. 

Realizing that she wouldn’t be seeing anything, Ana set the specs down and she gave them back to the clone, still facing the mountains one last time before she turned back to Coin.

“Everything okay, Sir?” he asked.

Ana frowned, not quite sure how to answer.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see anything, but keep an eye out,” the redhead answered.

“Yes, Sir.” Coin answered, giving her a last nod and look towards the mountains before leaving. Ana watched him go back to Cinders and the two talked. The Padawan only guessed that they were talking about what she said. Ana sighed and laid back down, this time moving to her side to look at the mountains.

 

* * *

 

Ana walked beside Obi-Wan as they walked around the streets to what the locals called ‘The Politic House’. Ana didn’t know whether it was more correct in their language or if these people were just too uneducated to know grammatical Basic, but walking around in the town, going past pan-handlers and small stores on the base of ruins she got her answer. Her next was to wonder if it was political corruption, but she was sure she could figure that out when she met the town’s mayor.

Cody was on the other side of her with Coin, Peg, Boil, and Waxer behind them. They brought in the smaller group of clones with them while the rest were back for backup and to protect the ship. Obi-Wan and Cody also agreed that going around the town in a larger group may raise more worries for the residents and paranoia for those who have broken the law. As Ana looked around at the shady characters, she was sure that a couple wasn’t the case. From what she heard from the Hutt family, their entire Empire was made on smuggling and law breaking, and those who stayed around them were definitely not saints. 

Although Ana had never really experienced sand, she found that she didn’t like it. She could already feel it in her boots even though they were almost up to her knees and it was harder to walk in. Her feet sunk a bit and she noticed Obi-Wan’s did too, but the clones were on top of it. She wondered if it had to do with the material of their boots.

She walked mostly silently, noticing that Obi-Wan and Cody were making small talk every once in a while, but she was looking around at the surroundings, getting the layout in case something happened.

They stopped at a one story building that was more sturdy than the others and the house was actually standing up and was large, but it definitely needed a tune up even compared to the poorest home from a person on the senate. She saw Obi-Wan turn to her and she moved her head to look at him so she could catch what he was saying.

“This is it,” he signed to her.

She raised one eyebrow. Seriously? No wonder they made business with the Hutt family…or maybe this was because they made business with them. Ana just nodded and then felt a prickle at her neck from the Force. She looked around once. They were being watched. Not just stares, but _watched._

She turned to Obi-Wan again and signed silently as they walked, "maybe we should com the others to be on alert."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"You…felt it too?"

He struggled to find the word at the top of his head, but he had finished the sentence before a human male came forward. He had very tanned skin, sand and wind scorched from the elements outside despite having his title and from having very clean and crisp dark clothes that were almost silk-like. He was a little older, late forties maybe. His eyes and hair matched the colour of the sand outside. He went closer to them and Ana saw him greet her Master with a hello.

While smiling to the male who she assumed was the political leader before she saw Obi-Wan greet him back with a bright smile and both sign and talk as he answered, “Nice to meet you. This is my Padawan, Ana and Captain Cody.”

The man looked at her and smiled as well. The title seemed really strange to her. Mayor was so out-used now. It seemed that he was in power with this title only because he could afford a house that stood up with thick walls. If he was corrupt, he wasn’t taking too much for himself. Although the Hutt family was known to drain people dry. And he may not be the only one, or he had people work for him and then he took it back to the Hutt family. However, as far as Ana could see, there was no Separatist threat in the city. No Sith Lords around, but she doubted she would be able to sense Separatist droid Generals or Commanders.

But Ana played it nice and sweet, unsuspicious as well. She smiled back and told him, “nice to meet you.”

While Cody was turned slightly towards her, Ana signed to him while Obi-Wan talked, hoping to not attract too much attention to draw suspicion.

"Contact ship. Tell them to be alert." signed to Cody.

The Captain made a small nod. Cody took a glance at the other man Obi-Wan was talking to but he didn’t seem to take notice. Perhaps this silent language had some really good perks. They oculd alert each other, talk, and send signals without saying anything so that a person they didn’t want to overhear wouldn’t. He looked to see if any suspicion was raised, but he saw nothing. Inside his helmet Cody sent the other clones a message, watching the new Commander as she looked around, though not at all making it obvious. He had seen the look in her eye and knew it from working with Obi-Wan over the year. She sensed something and Cody knew to trust a Jedi when they had that look because they knew something was coming. Cody just hoped that it was a bad agent and not an assault. They weren’t prepared for a large attack, yet.

Ana was walking, letting Obi-Wan talk. She could barely keep up the details anyway. She looked at the mayor. By his smile and how he walked he had a lot of…showmanship. It made sense if he was the mayor in a town like this, or if he was working for or with the Hutts. One must have a certain…personality she was sure.

Ana watched the mayor, sitting down in his office with Obi-Wan with Cody standing beside her, a couple of clones behind her, as though personal cover for an assault. It was like a wall around them.

It was a twitching by the window that caught Ana’s eye. She didn’t move her head, but she focused on the spot, noticing some type of droid watching them in the window, like it was hovering, watching. That tipped Ana off. _Something_ was here. However, Ana didn’t know who. But she stayed silent, smiling and watching the mayor, her eye still in view of the window as she caught the one sided conversation. The mayor was going on and on about something. Probably bragging about himself. He seemed like the kind of person to do that. But she pretended to be interested. After a while the droid would leave, but then it would come back again, then going. It was in and out as though it was checking up on them. It was obviously eavesdropping without wanting to be caught. Ana turned her head only slightly to see if any of the other clones are noticing it, but she couldn't be sure with the helmets.

Soon enough, her attention was caught when Obi-Wan and the mayor were moving again, walking into another office. Ana couldn’t pay attention with the mayor constantly turning so she left it to Obi-Wan to give her a summary. She watched Obi-Wan smile with the mayor, talking with a kind of charisma and friendly, charming way. It almost went back and forth.

Soon enough, she recognized the goodbyes they were making. Ana offered another smile and recognized the mayor saying Nice to meet you.

“It was nice to meet you too. You have a lovely home here,” Ana told him with a smile, not letting any of her suspicions show.

The mayor smiled and the three made a bow to each other. The lasting smiles were on their faces as they turned to leave the house. Ana turned to Obi-Wan and asked, “what did he say?”

Obi-Wan turned to face her before telling her, “he says that he was glad we came, that he was worried about the rumours himself and to take a look around. He would appreciate it if we found anything that we contact him.”

Hmm, so he could figure out when they knew the Republic would attack the Seperatists. Not too sneaky. 

Ana could tell Obi-Wan was thinking the same thing. When they were outside, Ana looked around and noticed people watching them again. She turned to Obi-Wan and signed to him and Cody so that if anyone was watching them wouldn’t overhear, "did you see the droid?"

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows.

"There was a droid?" he signed back

Ana recognized Cody turning to the other clones and realized he was asking them something through their helmets so it was less likely someone would overhear them. Cody turned back to her and signed:  "Waxer and Coin saw it too."

Ana nodded and looked back at Obi-Wan.

"We were being watched. Whoever is interested, I doubt it’s random civilians. Someone knows we are here." she explained in sign.

She noticed a bit of his confusion and tried again, going a bit slower.

"We were watched. Someone knows we are here." she explained silently.

Understanding the second time, or at least getting enough words to piece the sentences together, Obi-Wan nodded and answered, still signing:  "Now to find out if it is the Separatists or the Hutts looking in to see what we want."

Ana nodded and suddenly remembered last night. The Force was trying to tell her something.

"I think I know a place to start."


	7. Chapter 7

_** Chapter Seven ** _

 

"How are you so sure that there is something on this mountain?" Obi-Wan signed to her.

Ana looked back over at Obi-Wan as they took a break on the next large ledge of the mountain. Ana looked over at him and answered as she watched Boil, Waxer, Cinders, and Cody help the other clones to the ledge.

“The Force woke me up and I immediately looked this way. Something is over here. I believe that.” Ana answered him verbally for a smile, “trust in the Force, right?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, a smile on his face and his head tilted a bit. He hadn’t said that to her yet, although many Masters had said it her whole life at the Temple. It almost seemed odd to come from a Padawan almost telling him that. Like a twist on him.

Ana looked up and felt the edge of the mountain again.

“Besides, I wouldn’t have had us scale up a mountain if I wasn’t sure,” Ana told him, turning to look at him and giving a smile. 

She looked up and noticed a hole in the rock. The edge of a tunnel that looked out. She saw the dead plant of what was maybe an old moss-like substance at the edge, hanging out and dangling.

“I see that Mu’likats have left the mountain,” Ana commented more to herself as she looked up at the tunnel.

Obi-Wan looked up and saw the tunnel as well. He had seen a couple of those around the mountain as they scaled. He was sure he saw some in the ground on the actual path before it ended to a straight uphill climb.

“Yes.” he answered her as he signed, “it seems they haven’t been here for quite some time.”

“We’re not going to have to worry about animals biting at us do we?” Cody asked, signing as well.

Ana shook her head, smirking slightly. 

“No. I’d say they’ve been gone for at least five years.” Ana answered before pointing to the dangling dead vegetation. “That’s their food source. They would basically take seeds of it that grew inside the mountain and they would bring it out to the edges like that so it could grow more. That’s what they would feed off of. They would take water, hold it in their mouths and bring it up to the vegetation to maintain it,” Ana told him. “If the vegetation is dead then it means that they haven’t maintained it. If Mu’likats were actively living on the mountain that would grow all along the entrance of the tunnel and part of the side of the mountain. If it’s this dead then it has been dying for a long time.”

She looked back at Obi-Wan and the other clones. She guessed that Obi-Wan’s ‘huh’ face was similar to what all the other clones had under their helmets. She suddenly felt a little self-conscious and shrugged.

“Fun fact of the day I guess.” Ana answered, a little more to herself before looking up and continuing to climb again. She wasn’t particularly fond of climbing because she couldn’t really see the others. She was constantly looking over to make sure that Obi-Wan hadn’t said anything. And even if he did, she had to make sure she saw his lips move correctly since she couldn’t sign. And still, it was hard to focus on climbing when she was constantly moving her head. She just hoped that if a danger was coming then she would be able to sense it in the Force or Obi-Wan could try to quickly connect to her though the Force since she couldn’t hear their warning. However, her and Obi-Wan may need to be closer and have a better relationship for that to work.

Luckily, Ana made it to the next edge without any problems. She looked around to see Obi-Wan stand beside her soon after with Cody not too far behind. They were close to the top of the ridge so much so that Ana would need to stand on some rocks a bit above to be able to see over it. She looked up and went forward again, confident as she took about four steps up, making sure her footing was good and that she wouldn’t fall.

“I think that this is the best we can do without going over completely. If someone is close on this side they may see us if we go over.” Ana commented as she pulled herself up.

She looked back down to see their response. She saw Obi-Wan start to come up as well and he told her, looking up at her so she could see his lips, “good idea.”

Ana reached up and her hand hits the edge of the mountainside. She could feel the dead leaves against her hands. She smiles and lifts herself up effortlessly before finding another couple of rocks on the side. Finding her balance, she lifts herself lightly again looks over the side of the mountain, her eyebrows immediately raising.

She looked back down at them, noticing that Obi-Wan was starting to climb up as well, and told them, “there is definitely something here.”

Ana watched Cody start to move up, Boil, Waxer, Coin and Peg following close behind. Ana turned to look on her other side to see Obi-Wan stand beside her, making sure his footing was secure before looking himself. He looked forward and saw what she did. It had to be yards away, but on the top of the mountain, at a lower level of the slope at the top was something like large black things in a group. A rather large group too. 

Obi-Wan nodded and Ana looked at the other side of hero see Cody and the rest of the clones start to move up and look over the cliff as well. Ana saw him get out some small pair of specs before looking towards it.

“I can’t quite tell what it is,” Ana saw him say.

“Well, whatever or whoever it is they must be hiding something,” Ana answered.

She saw a motion beside her and looked over to see that Cody had taken off his helmet and set it on the ground so that she could see his lips.

“Are we sure it’s a threat though?” he asked them.

“Up here? People wouldn’t come up here to go camping.” Ana said, “unless I’m missing a lot of things that you all normally see in war. To me this looks like they are purposely trying to hide something.”

She looked towards Obi-Wan and saw him nod, “I’m inclined to agree. Although I can’t specifically see what is over there, we better contact Master Mundi and tell him to be on alert in case it is a small Separatist group.”

“How can we know for sure?” she turned to see Cody ask.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, thinking before Ana got an idea. She turned to look at the ground and saw what she was looking for not too far away. Only a couple of feet away was the hole that this dead wildlife would have surrounded years ago.

“I…may have an idea.” Ana commented, staring at the hole once more before looking between Obi-Wan and Cody. Seeing their confused and intrigued looks, she nodded towards the hole, “I’d be able to fit and probably slide through.”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows before looking at the hole. She looked between them for an answer before she saw Cody comment, “you can’t be serious.”

Ana shrugged, “well, it’d allow us to get close without being seen. There really isn’t anything for us to hide behind as we get closer, and a ship going overhead will raise a lot of suspicion or an attack before we would want it to…right?”

She ended the last statement as a question, now slightly nervous about telling them her idea. Maybe she was going too far? What would she know anyway? She was a Padawan on her first mission. They had the experience and the skill to make strategies. Maybe she was trying too hard.

She looked at Obi-Wan to follow his lead. She could tell that he was debating about the idea in his head. Maybe she hadn’t made a terrible suggestion after all. Obi-Wan looked at her and looked her up and down.

“You would be small enough… they are rather large around their stomachs…” Obi-Wan vocalized his thoughts before looking back at the hole.

“I can navigate my way through so I know I’m still going in a straight line there.” Ana told him, holding up her arm to where her com and linked in navigator were.

Obi-Wan stared at her for another moment, thinking before he commented, “it does seem like the best option to keep a low profile…”

Ana grinned and looked over at the hole.

“I can get in, but it’ll take me a while to get there,” Ana told him.

“While you’re making your way there we’ll contact the others and Master Mundi for them to be ready for an attack if we need to call it.” Obi-Wan answered.

Ana nodded and looked at the group of black and grey things. They were far away enough that with just their eyes, even droids, wouldn’t be able to see her unless there were some who saw motion and zoomed in. So, she would have to be quick if they were looking around. She looked at her navigation device and noted the direction she would have to go in. She knew that the tunnels would twist, she just had to make sure she would go in the right direction. Ana nodded once to assure herself an Obi-Wan before she quickly pushed herself up and over the edge. She kept herself on her stomach as she moved forward so that she wouldn’t make too much motion if they had scanners. 

Moving forward, quickly, Ana made her way to the hole before pushing herself down and through it. It was at a weird angle to go down. Her head already bumped into the top, dirt getting into her hair and knotting it out of the ponytail already, but she didn’t care. She kept her head low, carefully moving into the hole.

Ana shimmed into the hole. Going down at the angle she was in was a bit hard. The hole had enough room for her to move her elbows and put her head up a bit, but she felt herself become a bit stuck. Trying to pull herself forward, she found that she would need some help before going forward.

“Can someone push my feet?” Ana called up.

The Padawan didn’t know who it was, but some time later she felt someones hands on her boots and pushed her forward enough that she could pull herself down until she was on the flatter surface of the tunnels. It was a bit roomier there, but still not enough for her to crawl that well.

“Thanks,” she called back up. 

Well, trying not to be the ‘awkward new Padawan' Ship had officially sailed.

Ana pushed herself through the tunnel, going forward on her stomach. She was glad she chose such thick and durable material because she was sure that soon any other shirt would had ripped. Her old robes would have done that. It was one more reason why she was glad to be out of them. 

A buzzing went off on her wrist and she looked down to see that her comlink was blinking. She pressed the button and saw Obi-Wan’s figure as she crawled forward on her stomach. She noticed that they were all standing and she guessed that they had moved down to sit on the ledge where they could stay hidden.

“You aren’t stuck are you?” Obi-Wan asked and signed.

“Me? Nah.” Ana answered with a small smile, still going forward, the darkness coming closer to her as she left the hole behind, “it’s actually a little roomy in here.”

Ana stopped and looked at the side of the wall and made an arrow back to mark her trail. The last thing she needed was to get lost…well next to getting stuck. She looked at Obi-Wan again and crawled forward.

“I can tell.” Obi-Wan said with an amused expression on his face. 

“Well, I can move easily enough. It’ll take me a bit to get to that camp at the rate I’m going though. I also can’t see ahead too far.” Ana answered him.

“If you can, you can come back out. We’ll find another way.” Obi-Wan told her.

“I’d have to keep going to find a place to turn around. I’m already down here and moving. Give me a bit to see if I can get close enough to identify what’s going on.” Ana told him, still moving forward.

“I’m more worried about you not getting enough air.” Obi-Wan answered.

“I’m breathing fine. I’m not noticing a deterioration,” she answered, “Mu’likats make a lot of air holes.”

“What about the walls caving in?” Obi-Wan asked.

Ana stopped and stared at him before looking up and around her at the walls of the tunnel.

“Truth be told I didn’t think of that till now…but everything seems rock hard.” Ana answered, moving again.

“It’s sand…” Cody signed awkwardly.

“Hard sand,” Ana pointed out, “years and layers of sandstone. It hasn’t collapsed yet.”

Obi-Wan nodded and grinned.

“Give me a little bit to get down the slope. I’ll let you know if anything changes on my end.” Ana told them, still moving forward.

“We’ll do the same.” Obi-Wan signed to her. 

Ana nodded and watched the holo end, Obi-Wan’s image disappearing. She sighed and turned on the lights on her wrists so that she could see forward in the pitch black. _Here we go_ , she thought, moving forward as she moved as fast as she could in the tunnel.

Every once in a while she would turn in the tunnel or would have to go down another. She used her navigator as most as she could to see which one seemed to be going the direction she was heading. When she came at a crossroads where it seemed that the two tunnels or so she would stop and try to find if she could feel where the air flow was coming from before making her decision. Very quickly, she found that her face was dirty with the mud and sand along with her hair, while she could feel some of her clothing start to rip and get damp from the sand, but she still moved on. The most annoying thing about it to her was that sand was getting in her boots, but she would live with that.

As she crawled along every once in a while she would make markings in the side. It was only an arrow pointing in the direction she came and which tunnel to take, but it would lead her where she was coming from so she wouldn’t get lost again.

A little bit down the tunnel Ana almost fell forward after a sudden drop and she wobbled a bit before regaining her balance as she looked down at the hole that went in deep, a sudden 90 degree drop. Ana caught her breath, calming herself from the sudden fear before she looked across. She could make it if she reached far enough. Carefully, Ana moved herself forward, keeping her sense of balance as she kept reaching for the edge on the other side. She was glad that the clone troopers, and Obi-Wan for that matter, weren’t down here to see this. She was sure she made an embarrassing enough impression just going in here. She didn’t want to imagine them watching her as she reached out as far as she could, sure that she was stressing the muscles in her arm as her fingers moved up and down to try and reach the edge. When she finally did reach the other side, she smiled and pulled herself over more, keeping her balance as her arms gripped the edge of the other side as best as she could. She pulled herself over more, moving her arms as well to keep balance and to hold base to the other side. 

After carefully making her way across, holding herself up as her feet dangled down a bit, she made her way forward again. She could feel the cuts and irritated dry skin on her bare arms as she crawled again the sand and stones. 

She didn’t know how far she had made it or how long she was there, but she felt the vibration against her arm again fro the comlink. She pressed it and kept moving forward. She saw the image of Obi-Wan, and the other clones surrounding him as he talked to her.

“How are you making out?” Obi-Wan asked as he signed.

“Good. As far as I can tell I’m still going in the right direction. How long have I been down here?” Ana asked.

“A little over an hour,” he answered.

That was interesting. It didn’t seem that long to Ana, but I guess she was the one who wasn’t idling in wait. It didn’t seem that she gone too far in an hour, but to be fair she was going blindly through tunnels.

“We contacted Master Mundi. He’s ready with the rest of our numbers if we need it.” Obi-Wan told her.

Ana nodded, still moving.

“I haven’t seen anything yet. I should be getting somewhat close though. I had to go in different directions before going forward again.” Ana tried to explain, “and remind me to show you what the correct sign for ‘hour’ is.”

She pushed forward until stopping. There wasn’t even enough time for the fear that she was taking too long to move in her before she felt it. Her other hand moved to the side of the tunnel to feel it.

“Perhaps I spoke too soon.” Ana observed, moving her hand palm-up so it was flat at the top of the tunnel.

“What is it?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I can feel vibrations. They’re faint but they’re there. I’m getting close,” Ana answered him. Ana’s brow’s furrowed, “it feels metallic…or strong. Too strong for just people. And some of the movements feel like wheels.”

“Keep going forward. See what you can find,” Obi-Wan told her.

“Will do,” Ana agreed, the holo ending soon after.

Ana kept pushing forward, going a little bit more slowly as she used one hand to have her fingers trace the wall so that she could still feel the vibrations and which direction they were coming from. 

With each inch she made, she could feel the vibrations getting larger, thicker. She didn’t want to get too close. Going under them could put off some sensors if it was Separatists, or she wouldn’t have a place to look up anyway. So, it was time to try and find an opening to see just how far away she really was. Either way, from the vibrations she could tell that there was definitely a lot of machinery.

As she got closer, she would put up her hand to try and feel for the air flow. She got to a fork in the tunnels and looked down both. Both sides were pitch black, but she could feel the airflow coming from the right. So, she turned and went down that way after making another arrow to tell her where to go. She had went past a couple of openings in the top of the tunnels, but they were too far back and she knew she was too far away to see anything clearly.

As she moved down the tunnel, she started to see a light in the distance. Ana smiled and pushed forward a little faster. She could still feel the vibrations near her. She knew that she would be close enough to see what was there clearly, she just hoped that they wouldn’t see her.

Once at the hole, Ana looked up the hole for a couple of minutes. She didn’t see anything but the sky and knew it was a good sign. No shadows came by, she didn’t see anything go past the hole, and she knew that the source of the vibrations were a bit away. So, feeling it was safe, she carefully moved forward a bit more and carefully brought herself up until she was in a sitting position with her head hung a little low. Very carefully, she moved her head up out of the hole, blinking and cringing slightly at how bright it was in the light with no cover like she was in the tunnels. When she could see again, she looked around carefully, only bringing her head up enough so that her eyes were over the side, but just barely. They were almost level with the ground as she looked.

And there it was, not too far away, what she was looking for.

A very large group of battle droids and other droids that she didn’t recognize, but knew by the markings on them that they were from a Separatist fleet. There had to be over a hundred easily and it surprised her. Why were all of them there? It wasn’t enough for an invasion, but it seemed like a bit much for just a security measure.

Ana moved back down and scrunched herself back in the hole before going to her com-unit to contact her Master. Soon enough, Obi-Wan and the other clone appeared as small blue figures in front of her.

“Did you find anything?” he asked.

The redhead nodded, “oh yes.”

She carefully moved the unit up and changed the area that could be seen to the other side so that Obi-Wan and the others could see what she saw. She turned slightly so she could see Obi-Wan signing to her.

“Those are definitely Separatists…” Obi-Wan agreed.

“Why do you think there are so many?” she asked him.

He shrugged.

“A number of reasons.” Obi-Wan said.

Ana watched him look at Cody and knew that they were in conversation before Obi-Wan looked back at Ana.

“Try and get back here as quick as you can. We’ll contact Master Mundi and have his forces and the rest of ours reinforce us. We can come up with another plan.” Obi-Wan told her.

Ana nodded and moved back into the tunnel. She thought for a moment and asked, “actually…I may have another plan.”

Obi-Wan looked impressed.

“Do tell,” he encouraged her.

“Is it possible for Mundi to come down without the Separatists knowing?” Ana asked, “If I can meet them on the other side and they can get me some explosives then I can set them up around and under them. Once we detonate them then it will destroy most of them and weaken their numbers for when we go in, plus it will be fast in case they try to call reinforcements.”

Obi-Wan smiled.

“You are quite good at this,” he complimented.

“Only if my plan will work.” Ana answered.

“I’ll worry about that. You get to the other side of the mountain,” Obi-Wan told her, “and I would go around, not underneath those droids.”

Ana nodded, “got it.”

Obi-Wan ended the holo and Ana moved back into the tunnel fully, laying down on her stomach and she began to go forward down the tunnel, hoping to find a way to turn enough a way. She hoped she was at least making a good impression.


	8. Chapter 8

**_ Chapter Eight _ **

 

By the time Ana had made it over to the other side of the hole in the mountain her arms and shoulders were more than sore. She was relieved to have a break when she saw the next hole in the side, knowing that she had finally made her way around the outer side of the mountain to the other side. She checked her compass just to be sure so that she wouldn’t get her hopes up, but it was the co-ordinates that Obi-Wan sent her where Master Mundi was waiting with his own small team before more reinforcements came in, which would be ready on her signal that the bombs were set.

She was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. She had been moving in the uncomfortable position for so long that her shoulders were screaming at her from pain. It was a bit louder than the pain in her arms, where the dirt rubbed the skin raw and after hours of moving along the sand and dirt she was starting to bleed. She could feel the sand moving through her wounds and she knew that at the end of this she would need a bacta patch. But it was too late to go back. The others were waiting on her and this was her plan. So she would shed a little blood and have scrapped arms.

Looking down through the hole, she is sure that she was a sight for sore eyes, but she couldn’t focus on that. She felt her hair fall over her shoulder and saw the Jedi Master and about fifteen clones below with a backpack in the Master’s hand. Using the Force, Master Mundi pushed the bag up to her and Ana caught it, moving to pull it over her shoulder.

"Obi-Wan already has you doing the dirty work and you haven’t even been with him for a week?" he signed when she was looking back at him.

Ana smiled and signed back to him as she finished putting the pack over her shoulders. She leaned out a bit again and signed back.

"Well I technically volunteered for this so this is all on me," she signed back.

Master Mundi smiled and gave her a nod and Ana gave him a nod of confirmation back before she moved backwards in the tunnel. She carefully moved herself, moving into uncomfortable arches as she leaned up against the side of the tunnels, moving and wiggling until she was on her stomach again, facing the other side.

It was then she realized that the pack was also moving against the top of the tunnel and that it would be more than hard to get them out. So the next trick was to get the backpack off, which she did after a couple of minutes. She tied one string of the pack to her wrist before pushing it forward as she moved, her shoulders screaming again as they ached. 

She tried to remember the layout in her head that she had made as she was moving around in the tunnels. She tried to create a mental map as accurately as she could from memory so that she would know where to go, where was too close, and what was right under the battldroids that were above the ground. She had people waiting on her and as she moved, she needed to decide quickly about where to go. She could circle around the edge of the Separatist groups and then move in more to the centrebefore finally cutting across back to Obi-Wan. It was a rather large pack, but she needed to plan ahead about how to space them. The idea was more in the centre, less at the edges, but she needed to plan just how apart on the edges they were. 

As she moved, she made the calculations in her head, trying to estimate range she was going to go through. It would have been nice to know how many bombs she had to plan, but she would have to make do. She would make a guess than lower the number. It would be better to have extras for the middle since that’s where most of them would be in the perimeter.She would have to make sure she didn’t completely destabilize the mountain either. That would lead to more problems.

She started to wonder if she was overthinking everything.

And then there was the question that she didn’t want to ask. She felt her chest suddenly feel thick and hard as she thought about the next part of the plan that she hadn’t thought of until she was dragging the pack, the weight of the bombs suddenly coming to a weight in her chest as she realized that she had no idea how to set one of these bombs. She had read some information about them, but she hadn’t exactly thought to read the GAR books that would list things to do, or even differences between bombs so that they were set properly. But it was information that was president for her to know. She knew she _could_ ask Obi-Wan, but she didn’t know how well that would go either. A Padawan with a plan above her own knowledge. If the clones noticed that she just jumped in then it could be a bad relationship. They wouldn’t trust her. She may have just gotten started in this war literally hours ago, but she understood some dynamics of it really well. You needed to trust your superiors that they knew what they were doing. She didn’t want to start off on a note like that.

But what else could she do? There were very limited options and she rathered that someone things she is in over her head than to be blown up because she set a bomb wrong. She could ask Obi-Wan and Cody for help later, or at least direct her to instruction manuals to read.

She looked down at her wrist and pressed the com-unit’s button to start a connection to Obi-Wan as she stopped. A couple of seconds later, a holo-image of her Master standing beside Cody, Peg, and Boil. 

“I got the bombs from Master Mundi,” Ana reported, her eyes moving to look at the pack once more before they went back to her Master.

Obi-Wan nodded and gave the com to Cody to hold so he could use both hands to sign. The redhead watched her master intently.

“These ones set off with a detonator so you don’t need to worry about accidentally brushing it and setting it off,” Obi-Wan explained, both talking and slowly signing. Well, that was a relief. She liked to think she was skilled, but she would rather not get blown up underground on her first mission.

As he talked, she took out a bomb. The cold metal ball felt heavier than she thought it would in her hand. As a group they didn’t seem so bad, but individually she could see how they made the weight in the pack.

“You should see a red glass circle. On the other side you can set the bomb to the side or top of the tunnel and it will stay. Give it a small push and it will set up them up to turn on. By then, you should see a red blinking light from the glass,” Obi-Wan explained slowly so she could understand each step. “When you see the blinking, they are set. They have been set to a detonator Cody has through code. We’ll monitor how many bombs are set.”

Ana nodded and never felt so relieved. She knew it was practical for Obi-Wan to tell her how to set the bombs, but she still felt relieved nonetheless that he told her what to do without her needing to ask. It was a relief that she didn’t particularly look so clueless. She would definitely need to remember to ask Cody how all of the weapons worked before the next mission. She mentally scolded herself for not doing it before when she was with Radar and Cody.

“Will do. I’ll contact you soon,” Ana answered him. 

Obi-Wan nodded.

“Good luck,” Obi-Wan answered.

Ana only gave him another nod before his image disappeared. She regarded the bomb again moving it over in her hand before looking above her. Following Obi-Wan’s instructions, she placed the opposite side of the bomb onto the top. She pushed it and saw how it latched onto the earth, surprisingly. She watched the red light slowly turn on and then started to blink, telling her that it was set when ready to go off. That wasn’t too hard, yet somehow it still gave her slight anxiety to make sure she did right. The others were all counting on her. Not to mention they could watch how she was setting the bombs if Cody was monitoring them.

She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. As she thought before, the others were counting on her. She needed to get moving. They wouldn’t go unnoticed forever. Ana was already surprised they were still unnoticed. 

Moving along the tunnels, Ana tried to move in and around the area in a circle, slowly trying to move in as well. Moving under the droids explicitly was a big harder. They were stored up here, for whatever reason, but some of them were moving. It was distracting to feel the movements under and around her and did nothing to heighten her anxiety. She was just glad she wasn’t claustrophobic. Even if she wasn’t, she would be glad to get out of the cramped space and into open air again.

Setting the bombs was another time-spending project. She centred around in circles, moving to as close to the centre as possible and setting more of the bombs in the centre area so that they would collapse more, creating a type of black-hole where it was deeper in the centre and harder to get through and over the sides.

Moving out to the outside again, setting the last of the bombs on her way, Ana felt better moving out from under the droid’s feet. Setting the last bomb along the stretch, she pressed the com unit to contact Obi-Wan as she kept crawling. She watched his form and Cody’s come up and she told him as she kept moving forward, her lower arms screaming and ready to be free from the constant scraping.

“Progress report: bombs are set. I’m on my way back to you,” Ana told him, looking down to catch his response.

“Good timing. Mundi says that his support ship has been spotted and question. We may have been caught,” Obi-Wan informed, also signing to the best of his ability.

“I’ll be on the surface soon. You might have to start moving forward with the assault so we don’t waste time,” Ana answered.

“Mundi’s ground troopers are already on the move here,” Obi-Wan explained.

Looking forward, Ana saw a light in the distance from the darkness.

“I’ll be at an opening soon. I won’t be so close to you, but I’ll be out from underground and you can set off the bombs.” Ana informed them.

“We’ll start to move over the edge and set up the attack as well,” Obi-Wan told her.

“I’ll meet you in the middle,” Ana agreed before Obi-Wan shut off the connection.

Moving forward again, Ana tried to go at a faster pace. She was sure that it wouldn’t take long for the clones to get over the edge and when they did, it wouldn’t take long for them to get spotted as they set up. 

She moved around a small curved corner before spotting the glow of light in front of her. It was not too far now, but it still seemed far. Moving, trying to pull herself by the damaged arms as best as she could, the travel to the opening seemed farther than she originally thought, but she found her eyes slowly adjusting to the new light. As she moved closer, she was starting to feel the separate movements of the clones.

She squinted up at the sun as she finally laid under the whole. When the bright white turned into the light blue sky, she squirmed in the hole to lay on her back. From there, she put her hands forward and gripped the edges of the hole. Pulling herself up, she carefully twisted her neck and head to make sure it didn’t hit thetop of the tunnel until she moved and it was in the whole. Her eyesight just went over the edge. Looking forward, she saw the droids far away and in a blur, though it still looked like they were moving forward.

Gripping the sides of the hole again, she used her arms to push herself up until her legs could get a good grip on the ground and she could push that way as well. When she was finally up out of the hole enough, she moved to sit herself on the edge until she brought up her legs. 

She felt the presence and turned to look up at Obi-Wan as he stood beside her when she brought up her legs. He smiled down at her and offered his hand. Taking it, the two got up and Ana could see the line of clones behind her, the ones from the camp also there as well. Small numbers, but she could already see Mundi coming forward, more clones joining their line as Cody walked up as well.

“You look a little worn,” Obi-Wan commented to her.

Ana shrugged, though the small ache came. It was nice to feel the air on her skin again, the wind move through the hair as well as it could through the clumps and matted holds from the dirt. She tested the weight on her legs, feeling them get their strength of balance back when she saw Mundi step on the other side of Obi-Wan.

“I’m guessing that we’re about to begin then?” Ana asked, turning over to Cody. 

The Masters nodded and Mundi told them, “it is.”

Cody nodded once before bringing up the unit at his wrist. He pressed a few buttons before the earth suddenly shook from under her. Ana’s legs moved down to brace and hold balance and Ana turned to watch the cloud of dust smother the bronze blurs of the droids. Behind her, the clones kept a stance to get ready for the forward assault as Mundi made a signal to the air forces to get prepared to come down.

It took about a minute, but soon the four saw the movement break the wall of thick dust. And they seemed closer than she thought that they would.

The three Jedi ignited their lightsabers as they unconsciously began to pair up. 

Obi-Wan watched Ana carefully as they took steps forward. Her gaze was forward, an expression that showed that she was evaluating the situation in front of her quickly. He knew it was a possibility that in her first field day she would get hands on experience, but he was hoping that it wouldn’t lead to anything drastic. This was her first battle and the first time she would be placed in a situation where she had to work with what she had, that she had to use her skills to the best of her ability.

He was just glad that it would be a small battle, that the other side wouldn’t have large numbers and that he knew she was aware of her strengths and skills and what she was not. She was a quick learner, she would be aware of how to change and adjust quickly if she needed to. They were just droids. It wasn’t as though she was going against a Sith Lord.

She was watchful and calculating the upcoming assault and making sure to know options and different ways to get to the end point she was hoping for; a skill that was an incredible asset in a war and especially for a Commander.

Ana was evaluating, trying to figure the numbers in her head. They had bigger numbers with Master Mundi’s troops even if it took them a bit longer for the full small assault to come in.And that was even before the bombs took out a lot of their droid numbers. None of that, though, promised no casualties on their side. There were no certainties in war. 

As the droids began to advance Ana felt a gloved hand brush her shoulder. She turned her head, her put-up hair flowing behind her with the help of the wind. She saw Cody beside her and he signed to her: "are you ready?"

She nodded and gave him a reassuring smile and signed back "no time like the present."

"We’ll cover you," he answered her silently.

Ana nodded again and almost immediately after, there was a sudden gunfire from their row of clones as well as the clones from Mundi’s team that came over as Master Mundi and Kenobi commanded the assault on their side to start, the front lines of the fire either standing or kneeling to position their guns towards the battle droids. The air was suddenly filled with a metallic and slightly chemical-like smell as Ana watched the air suddenly fill with blue blaster bolts as they flew through the air and to the droids on the other side. It started the assault and soon, red blaster bolts came back. Immediately after seeing the first shade of red, Ana took her lightsaber and the blue blade glowed in the corner of her eye as she watched the droids that weren’t falling to the ground start to advance, her head and shoulder moving as she easily dodged one blaster bolt. 

Gripping her lightsaber, she watched Cody on one side of her take out his two blasters and began to fire as well. Ana barely noticed as her knees bent to create a stance as she moved her lightsaber, the blade swinging to deflect the blaster bolts, slowly taking some steps forward with Cody beside her. In the other corner of her eye she saw the motions of a determined Master Kenobi and Master Mundi move out farther than her, already moving to slice through the first lines of battle droids that they could get through.

The Padawan Learner wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting. She didn’t know if it would be harder or not in real life, in actual battle. But it was just…different. She hadn’t had much battle training, she knew that, but she moved her blade with an elegance of what Obi-Wan tried to tell her. She could see what he was trying to say about making sure that her wrists were loose. It was almost the same as her training she did with Obi-Wan earlier, using her saver to deflect the bolts and even targeting them to hit other droids. The reflected shots weren’t as refined in practice, only a couple of them hitting the droids enough to cause them damage and fall. There were more blaster shots, and they came with more speed it seemed, but she was sure that it was because of the heightened tensions she was feeling in the heat of the battle. It was just more bolts than what she had normally practiced with, making her move her blade more. It was harder to think quickly under the pressure to keep her eyes open, continually strategizing to see where she could aim the next bolt to reflect to.

As she moved her blade, conscious of Cody beside her and the other clones behind her to make sure that she kept a good distance from them. 

She found herself subconsciously adapting her movements in the battle. She couldn’t deflect every blaster bolt, so she learned to move and dodge them gently, only moving her blade to deflect the ones that she couldn’t dodge. She also tried to follow Obi-Wan’s teaching, relaxing the muscles in her wrists and allowing them to try and flex and move, even slightly unnaturally at first, to give quicker speed. She could see how box-like her movements were. She needed to sway out. The Jedi Masters always told her to move the blade with grace. She had seen all of them with theirs. Even now Mundi and Obi-Wan could move in a jarring cut and piercing movements, it was still with a type of elegance from the power of the blade. She couldn’t see the grace of it, but perhaps that’s just because she just had to learn to be more proficient in technique.

Ana wasn’t sure if she liked being deaf during the battle. In her mind she could think of the negatives and subconsciously thank the positives. She could see the bolts moving around her and it was somewhat jarring to suddenly be around moving objects like that, a tension of battle charging the air in a way she had never experienced before. The air was messy but the Force was precise, solid. But it was still a chaotic mix as she tried to focus on the Force so that it could bring her focus. It was jarring to have so much action happening around her and the air being as tense as it is. She couldn’t hear the sounds of the men, if someone was yelling at her, the sounds of the blasters…but perhaps that was also why she was appreciative that she was deaf. She could hear the buzzing in her ears of all the commotion, a knowledge that _something_ was indeed going on. Maybe if she focused enough she could hear the general tone of blasters or maybe the droids moving, but other than that it was mostly background noise. She could _focus_ without all the extra sounds and actions. She couldn’t get distracted unless something powerful came by. 

She took a couple more steps forward, slowly making her way towards the battle droids. It was to a point in the sun she could see the gleam not just from the sunlight, but the shadow of blue light from her own saber reflect off the metal. 

In the corner of her eye she saw a clone fall to the ground. She turned her head to the left, her hair falling behind and it brushed her other shoulder. She noticed a blaster whole in the armour as the clone fell back. She stared at the trooper, feeling within moments that his signature in the Force was suddenly departed, now a part of the air of the Force. She stared at the clone for a couple of moment. He was one from Mundi’s main team. She could see the painted armour, the customized and personal identifier of the clone. She had never seen death around her before, not like this.

Ana was brought out of her thoughts when a red blaster shot went through her gaze, just above her nose. She turned and saw the droids advancing, some heading right for her. 

Taking more steps forward, Ana moved quick, her blade up and ready to strike and cut.

She watched the battle droids move closer as she took steps forward. She was sure in a split second that she saw her own reflection in the dented and dirty metal before she brought her saber across her an easy swing forward and across at a diagonal horizontal. After the cut, Ana’s arms stood still, her chest still slightly heaving from adrenaline as she watched the droid fall into the two parts, both suddenly falling to the ground. As the head hit the ground, some dust flew around the air.

It was weird, for Ana. She had never really sliced through anything with her lightsaber before. She had practice at the Temple but…this was different. She didn’t realize just how easily her blade would slice through the droid bodies. No they weren’t thick, but she expected even just a little bit of resistance. Even if there was no resistance on the blade, she is sure she felt some type of power surge of slight resistance in her hand. She knew it wasn’t real, but it felt like something. She was glad that she couldn’t hear the damage.

She forced herself out of her thoughts as she saw the sunlight glimmer on another battle droid. Up close they looked even uglier than she imagined they would. For whatever reason she didn’t like the look of their heads.

She swung the blade again, one with easy movement as she moved the blade back to the original position, or close enough to it at least. Her eyesight moved again and she struck the next battle droid that was close enough then turning to get another. She learned to make longer strides in step as she went side to side and when she made her swings so that she was more likely to go through more than one. She kept herself near a central area, watching the droids fall either by her or by the bolts from the clones. 

She kept herself tight, making sure there were no openings for blaster fire to hit her as her eyes also kept alert. She would look up, calculating the droids in front of her. The ones with the shields that were coming closer were not going to be easy to get through. Thankfully their tanks seemed to be destroyed. There was no movement from them yet.

But she was calculating which movements to make as she looked around, not just looking at the droids that were coming over now, but also the movements of the droids. Because many had died in the explosion, there was some out of order, more like groups. And Ana knew that she had to move with the groups. She had to plan her movements, which direction that she would go in first before moving, trying to establish a flow of movement from one direction to the next.

Perhaps she was over thinking it.

Maybe it would come more naturally with time. 

She didn’t know how long she was slicing through droids, her eyes watching the clones around her, Cody keeping to her side, though slightly farther off now. The droid numbers were getting lower, and her mind was tired yet alert, but there was a prickle in the Force as the numbers of Mundi’s Forces were coming to mix in with theirs.

In the mix of the battle, the sight of the battle droids coming closer, she felt a sudden pulse of warning in the Force, like a wave of heat coming onto her. It was hard and thick, a warning that something was going to happen, a need to do something.

She looked around, wondering what the warning was for. An enemy ship coming in? A new group of droids that were on their way?

Looking around, frantically, the other soldiers didn’t seem to notice. They were too focused on the enemy in the front. She felt their energy, their sight of determination. They seemed calm, for what was going on at least. They didn’t know something she didn’t. So what was she looking _for?_

It was a detail, one that she nearly missed.

The metal clutch of a rope-like structure that she had seen Mundi’s troopers get up to this side that had it’s hold on the edge was starting to slide.

Ana broke into a run, going behind the front line firing squads to get to the side of the cliff. Cody barely noticed her as she moved and the others were too focused on their line of fire.

She was within arms distance when she saw the tension completely break. She pushed herself to move faster, or at least pushing herself forward with her hands diving for the rope.

Everything afterwards was so fast that Ana could barely remember what happened a second after it did. She grasped for the rope, her hands flailing for it until she felt the texture on her hands. She fumbled the rope slightly before getting a solid grip. That was the first part of the task. The second was that she was almost pulled forward, not expecting the sudden weight. There was more than one clone on the rope.

Before she could bulk forward, head first into the dirt and go rolling feet to head before hitting the cliff, she managed to pull back onto the rope and hold herself up with the same strength she had felt herself going forward with the help of the Force. The balancing act wasn’t great, but it kept her upright as she felt her feet still sliding, dust and sand from the ground flying up into her face as slid.

She saw the edge coming closer and tried to anchor her feet as much as she could. As much as her boots were meant to grip, the top sand was too loose on the rock. Her eyes searched for something that could anchor her. There was a large rock coming close and near the side. That would give her enough edge. 

Ana leaned over and moved her feet sideways as best as she coulduntil she slid into the rock. Her one foot knocked up on the slide at an awkward angle on first connection, but it stalled her sliding enough for her to fix it through gritted teeth from the pain to allow her to anchor her shoes against it. This time, she braced herself for the coming pull of the rope as the sliding would stop. Momentum was not particularly on her side and she almost went forward again, her back almost snapping as she was suddenly brought into an awkward position of standing straight, but still at an angle that was still trying to pull her.

It seemed at the moment that time had stop. She could see clones still firing, some red blaster bolts go by, but her focus was not on them. Instead, her attention was on her grip on the rope and holding herself upright, her ribs seemed to be locked and very tight, making it hard to breath, though she knew that she could only take deep breaths.

Ana growled, breathing deeply and trying to focus as she held the rope in the tightest grip. She could feel the rope tightening around her hand, almost cutting into it already. She kept breathing though, looking at the edge and trying to focus her mind on the balance and strength that would be needed. Slowly, she worked back her one arm, the strain immediate, but she forced herself not to think of it, holding it there and preparing the next brace. The instant her second hand let go she felt the immediate strain of holding the weight on one arm even if it was a second long before the other moved forward and grasped the rope tightly again. The pit in her stomach was getting larger in pain as she held through. She gritted her teeth and looked at the edge. _Come on Ana,_ she thought, _you haven’t lifted a weight this heavy in the gym but the same practice holds._ Pulling the hand back to her side, Ana gritted her teeth as she brought the first hand forward again to meet the second.

The rope inched up slowly until Ana felt herself taking larger reaches. Her breath was hard pants as she felt her shoulders continually scream at her to let go. She felt her upper arms being stretched and the brace of her shoulders in a lock that was aching to be released from the tension. Her brows furrowed and her face contorted in slight pain but most in concentration as she eased in breathing strained breaths.

She felt the Force whisping around her, almost like a light fog, to give her strength. She willed the air to move past from around her to the energies of the soldiers on the rope. She felt three life forces and could almost picture them in her mind before the Force flowed back around her.

She kept inching the rope, eyes focused on the ground until she felt another warning in the Force, the feeling that something was going to invade space. She looked towards the warning and saw a red bolt flying towards her. She quickly ducked, but her footing stumbled slightly and she had to again Force herself back quickly to avoid losing the hold and flying forward again. It was all a delicate balance and unless the soldiers on the rope came up faster, she couldn’t focus on two things so easily.

Looking behind her, she saw the clones closest to her, though still a fair amount away.

“Waxer! Crys! Disc!” Ana called to them.

She watched the three helmets turned towards her. Quickly, they moved, also being aware of where they were. When they were close enough, Ana explained to them, “I need you to cover me.”

There was a nod and while Crys and Disc moved for the cover, Waxer was still turned to her and he carefully moved his own gun and in pure surprise, she watched him move his hands.

‘What’ ‘many’

She was shocked for a couple of seconds. Cody was the only clone, as she understood, who knew sign language. Waxer must have been watching their interactions closely the night before. Sure he got one sign wrong, but it was a try to communicate when he couldn’t take off his helmet. It was a try to communicate through her language.

Quickly moving out of it, she nodded and answered him, sensing the other soldiers start to move up the rope: “3.”

She watched as he moved to grab the rope as well, but she shook her head.

“I’d rather you go to the edge and help them up,” she told him. 

He nodded and she watched him quickly move to the edge. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the image of the troopers. One of them was close to the top.

Focusing on her strength again, Ana pulled the rope again, reaching forward to bring the rope back.

She kept pulling back until she felt a clip of something stopping the pull. Opening her eyes, she saw Waxer starting to pull the first trooper up. She held the rope steady for him to come up. Watching the first trooper make it over the edge, Ana forced herself to bring the rope up more, pushing past the screaming ache in her shoulders. She clenched her teeth and pulled up again, the first clone getting up to help her pull as well. It was a bit of relief to Ana’s pull. She was thankful to be able to use the Force to help, but extra help was still better than nothing and she could note the difference.

Both her and the other clone helped to pull the rope and through gritted teeth. She watched Waxer help the second clone up and she felt more relief in her shoulders from the second weight being gone. The second clone grabbed the rope as well. The three of them easily pull on the rope, the stress and tension in her shoulders deflating into an after-ache, but she ignored that as well. Bringing up the last clone trooper was the easiest and when she watched the last clone safely come over the edge, she let out a sig of relief, dropping the rope and letting her shoulders relax. As her shoulders dropped, that only seemed to make the ache worse. She turned to look to Disc and Crys when she saw a helmet turn. Disc turned his head to look at her and she gave him a small smile before noticing a bolt about to hit.

“Disc go right!” she told him, quickly taking off his arm and pulling him as she moved to dodge the bullet as well. 

The clone looked behind him after the bolt shot past and although Ana didn’t hear the thank you, she hopefully assumed before turning to see the advancing droids. She looked to the right and saw the line of clones still fighting, many on the ground. A valiant fight so far, but they were losing numbers too.

As she ignited her lightsaber again to deflect another blaster, hitting another droid and she watched it fall before noticing movement towards her in the corner of her eye. Looking to the side again, she sees Cody making his way slowly towards her, keeping aware of what was around him as well as the other clones formed around her slightly on the other side, taking stances to shoot as well.

“Are the rest of Mundi’s trips coming in soon?” the Jedi asked Cody.

Cody signed to her, "any moment. They just entered the atmosphere."

Even as she signed she could feel the new energy of the oncoming storm of the rest of the troops. Mundi’s fighters wouldn’t take too long. 

Ana looked over closer to see Obi-Wan and Mundi still fighting. Ana looked in front of her and saw the still advancing droids. The sooner the better. 

Ana went into another defines position, moving her blade as she felt the energy of the Republic fighters coming closer. She watched one of Mundi’s troops that she helped up fall to the ground, his armour still steaming from the blaster bolt that hit him in the stomach. She winced slightly. She had tried.

Before she could bring back her focus, there was a sudden shaking in the ground and the noise of vibrations and ringing of a blast in her ears. The quake was nowhere near as powerful as the blasts from the bombs, but it was a fierce greeting of the new fighters.

Ana turned her attention to the sky as she watched six fighters fly through the air, the ground shaking with more blasters coming from the fighters as they attack the droids, bringing them down in large numbers.

The clones around her took the Padawan’s attention again as some of the ones standing lifted their fists in cheer. Ana couldn’t help but smile at the new energy, the feeling of celebration that she forgot the other clone for a brief moment. She had tried.

 

* * *

 

 

Ana walked with Obi-Wan while Master Mundi walked on the other side of Obi-Wan. She tried to keep herself at an angle to be able to see the Jedi Master’s faces as they talked. Mundi also tried to curve himself as well so that Ana could see him better.

“This was a worthwhile trip,” Mundi concluded. 

“I have to agree. While we do not have all the pieces, there is definitely something to investigate,” Obi-Wan agreed.

Mundi smiled and nodded to the two, “yes and thanks to you two this early investigation went well. I will take over from here. Thank you for your help.”

Obi-Wan nodded and offered a smile. Ana only hoped that her’s also came as well. She wasn’t expecting that Master Mundi to suddenly take over. Did she do something wrong? Was the mission taken from Obi-Wan because of her and the Council thought it was better to pass the mission to someone else; someone more capable. It felt as though all the pride she had gained suddenly drained out of her, like someone turned on a faucet.

In her thoughts, Ana missed the last words Master Mundi said, but her attention came back when he gave a final wave. Ana nodded and gave one last smile to Master Mundi as he turned to face her and give her a last smile as well. When he was done, he turned and walked away. Ana watched as his head turned to talk to the Captain. With every step that the Jedi Master took as he walked away, Ana felt her smile start to fade as a sinking feeling of slight shame waltzed through her chest.

Obi-Wan took notice of his Padawan’s sudden change of emotions and his own brows furrowed as he turned to look fully at Ana. He waved his hand lightly to catch Ana’s attention. Almost immediately, Ana’s gaze moved to the moving hand and she turned to face Obi-Wan. 

“Is there something wrong, Ana?” Obi-Wan asked. “You did quite well.”

Ana stared at him for a couple of seconds before she shrugged and admitted to him, “I don’t know, Master. But…I…”

She tried to find the words as Obi-Wan waited patiently for her. After a couple of seconds as Ana stuttered a little, she finally stopped and sighed.

“I’m sorry if I did things wrong,” Ana told him.

With his brows furrowing even more, Obi-Wan looked down at her, troubled and curious.

“What could you possibly be sorry for Ana?” Obi-Wan asked her, genuinely surprised to hear something like this.

“Well…”Ana shrugged. “I thought that Mundi taking over was kind of a way to tell us that we didn’t exactly do a good job, or specifically me since I was the one who was new and didn’t exactly know what I was doing and that he needed to take over.”

That was it? 

Obi-Wan had to do all he can not to chuckle because he knows that will hurt more. But he can’t stop a soft smile. He shakes his hand and tells her, “no, Ana. This was always meant to be for Master Mundi. We were just the quick eyes. If we had something to report, Master Mundi was always meant to take over from us.”

Ana watches his mouth carefully to make sure that she can understand all that he is saying. When he is done, she feels…weird. Like her feelings were slowly being uncovered and reassurance started to fill her.

“Really?” she asked, wanting confirmation.

Obi-Wan nodded, his smile starting to grow as the edges of her lips started to tug up into a small smile.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan promised her before he told her in a comforting tone, hoping that it would transfer even if she didn’t hear it, “Ana, you did remarkably well for your first field mission. You were watchful and thoughtful of what you did both for planning, executing, and during the actual battle that we did not even know would happen. And you’re the one that came up with the plans. Ana, you should be quite proud of yourself. You had a very successful day.”

The redhead watched his mouth carefully. She couldn’t hear the tone, but she could see in the way his mouth moved and the gentleness of his eyes that she understood the tone of comfort, reassurance, and encouragement that he was trying express. Ana smiled a bit and looked down for a moment a little shyly before looking back up at Obi-Wan.

“Thank you, Master,” she tells him genuinely. She had been slightly nervous about screwing up all day and it was nice to hear that she actually did a good job, that it wasn’t all in her head.

Obi-Wan was going to say something again when he saw Nova coming over. He looked up and gestured to the clone and Ana turned to regard the clone as well, stepping aside slightly and turning so that she could see both men as Nova began to take off his helmet and put it under his arm. 

“Good work with the bombs, Sir,” Nova congratulated her.

Ana smiled, with another genuine smile and she was almost blushing slightly. 

“Thank you,” she answered him. 

“You look a little roughed up from the tunnels though, Sir,” Nova replied. “I want to patch you up.”

She had almost forgotten how scraped up she was. Looking down at herself, she realized that she already destroyed most of the new clothing she had. The shirt was ripped more than the pants, but they had plenty of rips in them as well. And her elbows and lower arms were completely scratched and over rubbed and dirty. She could only imagine how infected the wounds could be if she didn’t clean them. 

Ana looked over at Obi-Wan for a moment. It wasn’t for approval, but to more find out if he had anything else to say. He looked back at her and gave her an encouraging smile before Ana turned back to Nova. 

“Actually, I’m hoping I can meet you half-way, Nova,” she answered. “Can I take a shower first? I’d get most of the dirt cleaned off that way anyway and then I won’t have to take off the patches later.”

And she could _really_ go for a hot shower.

Obi-Wan nodded and, after some hesitation, Nova did as well.

“Very well, Sir,” Nova agreed.

Ana gave him a last smile before turning to Obi-Wan, silently asking the question. The Jedi Master looked down at her and smiled as he nodded.

“Go ahead. I will join Master Mundi for the time being. I will most likely see you after you are finished in the med-bay,” Obi-Wan said while signing to her.

Ana nodded and gave him one last smile before she nodded her goodbye to Nova as well.

“Gentleman,” she said a little lower before moving off towards the ship, going past different clones who were talking to each other, some of them watching her as she walked past before they went back to their conversations. Nova, Cody, and Obi-Wan also watched her as Cody slowly walked towards Obi-Wan, his helmet still on.

When Ana was moving up the ramp, Cody turned to the Jedi Master and asked, “do you need me to come to the briefing, Sir?”

Turning to the Captain, Obi-Wan shook his head.

“No, Cody. I want you to stay here and tend to our group. I shouldn’t be too long,” Obi-Wan answered.

Obeying orders, Cody gave the General a salute and a “yes, Sir!” Obi-Wan gave the clone a smile and nod before walking off towards the direction that General Mundi went in. When he was gone, Cody relaxed his shoulders slightly, moving to take off his helmet and look at the rest of his team. Most of them had their helmets beside them, set on the ground as they were sitting to patch themselves up from injuries or were starting to put supplies together to count before loading up.

Cody walked towards the main group and everyone else watched him.

“Well, what do you think of our new Commander?” Cody asked them, looking over towards the others in the main group.

“I think she has the best upper arm strength in the whole GAR is what I think,” Waxer answered. 


	9. Chapter 9

_** Chapter Nine ** _

 

Ana didn’t know what time it was when she felt Obi-Wan’s gentle, yet cold hand on her forehead. For the past couple of days, time might as well have been non-existent between her nausea and fever. She barely woke up. When she opened her eyes she could barely distinct night and day despite being able to see the the light. She understood that it was day or evening, but the actual acknowledgement of it was lost to her. For all she knew she could have been like this for two weeks and not know the difference. 

Ana didn’t bother to open her eyes as she felt Obi-Wan’s hand against her forehead for a couple of seconds. It was something that she would get used to. The first times she felt it, she was too sick to barely open her eyes and try to communicate. By the time that wore off, she was used to it. This time, his routine was no different. First was the couple of seconds of his hand on her forehead. The hand would shift somewhat, but it was the longest that would try to feel her temperature. Other times, she would usually feel his hand on her shoulders or behind her neck to most likely feel her body temperature. Sometimes soon after she would feel a cold cloth against her forehead. Frankly she was surprised that he didn’t just take her to the medical centre in the Temple, but perhaps it wasn’t urgent enough for her to need it.

In the brief moments where she woke up, she would usually see some sort of light, either by one in her room or by the sun, but sometimes she found it hard to distinguish from the two. She would usually also see a glass of water beside her on the night-table beside her bed. It was a silent telling of Obi-Wan wanting her to drink it and stay hydrated. She would try to stay up long enough to at least drink a couple of sips. Usually though, she would only be up for a couple of seconds before she would drift back into sleep.

A couple, a few rare times, she woke up, her eyes actually opening when Obi-Wan came in. Once or twice it was when he was replacing the cold cloth on her forehead or moving it across her cheeks and neck to catch some of the sweat. Once it was when he was walking in through the door. That was one of the earlier times. She was sure he was trying to tell her something, but in her haze she couldn’t really read his lips that well to understand what he was saying. And she was usually shortly back to sleep anyway.

It was only within the past day or so that she was actually more aware of her surroundings. She was actually up when she was awake, able to look around her room and drink the full glass of water before going back to sleep. She was just usually tired during the times that she was up. 

So, she decided to stay still as she felt Obi-Wan move a cloth against her forehead and soon enough, she was back asleep.

 

* * *

 

It was the next day when Ana was actually up for a couple of hours. She slept deeply, but when she woke up in the morning, she was able to walk around. She had a small bowl of breakfast, though only eating half before going back to her room to fall asleep. The next time she woke up was in the afternoon and she spent the time watching a holovid until she fell asleep during it. That time she was awake when Obi-Wan came in to ask how she was doing, but he didn’t stay too long after telling her he had a Council Meeting soon. 

This was the third time she was up. Obi-Wan came to visit her when he was done with the Council meeting. Ana was continuing the holovid she was in the middle of when she fell asleep earlier. Obi-Wan had told her that the Council members were hoping that she would be in good spirits soon and that Cody had sent a message that the Battalion is hoping that she gets better soon as well. 

What surprised Ana was a couple of hours later when Ana was getting ready to try and fall back asleep. She was laying in her bed when she saw the light flash on the wall beside her, indicating that someone was knocking at her door from the sensory pads she placed against the door. She wasn’t just surprised by the knock, but that she couldn’t sense the person in the Force. She didn’t realize she was so sick that her Force senses were starting to trail off. It made sense. With a sick and hazy mind, it would be harder for her to sense and connect to the Force.

She didn’t think that Obi-Wan would knock at the door. Reaching out in the Force as best as she could, she was even more surprised that she was met with a familiar, but unexpected person in the Force. 

“Come in,” Ana called to Ahsoka, shutting off the holovid and setting the data pad on the night-table beside her. 

A couple of seconds later, Ana saw the door open and watched the Togruta girl at the doorway. This was definitely a surprise. Ana stared at her, surprised with an eyebrow rising.

“You didn’t sneak in here did you?” Ana asked her. 

Ahsoka laughed before stepping forward, shutting the door behind her.

“No. I got approval from Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka answered her, walking towards the bed and making sure her face was visible, “I just wanted to see you.”

Ana’s eyebrow raised higher as Ahsoka got closer.

“You do realize that I’m still sick and probably contagious,” Ana told her.

Ahsoka nodded and shrugged, jumping onto the bed. Ana jolted a bit from the sudden bounce in the bed before it slowly rustled back down to normal after Ahsoka was sitting. Even as Ahsoka shifted to get more comfortable in the bed, it moved but the cushion at least did not bounce to make her aching bones and headache worse. 

“Well, I never got to say congratulations on a successful first mission,” Ahsoka told her, looking at Ana so the redhead could see her mouth clearly. “Anakin and I didn’t get back from out mission until after you were sick and when I tried to visit you, Master Kenobi said that you shouldn’t see anyone because you were so sick.”

Ana shrugged and nodded, trying to hold back her nervousness for talking about the previous mission, which she could only start to vaguely remember, “yeah…I haven’t been my best lately. For the first couple of days I don’t even really remember waking up.”

Ahsoka nodded empathetically before moving again, a slight shuffle as she laid out more along the bed, lounging slightly to be comfortable. Despite Ana still feeling sick, Ahsoka didn’t seem to mind or care at all, both at Ana being sick or at the thought that she could still be contagious. She was just making her comfortable. Although it looked slightly out of place, it was also kind of refreshing to have that comfortability between them. 

“I know how that feels,” Ahsoka told her. “When I got sick, I don’t even think I actually woke up for a whole week. Did you throw up too? For the first couple of days I lived on the refresher floor.”

Ana’s eyebrows raised. 

“You got sick too?” Ana asked.

Ahsoka nodded, a confused expression now on her face. 

“Yeah. All the padawans usually get super sick after their first mission or first time where they are close with the clones for a period of time. I think a lot of Jedi got a little sick too when they first started working with the clones after a while, but most of them had immunity to different diseases from other planets already from going to them,” Ahsoka answered. “The clones are terrible for passing things around.”

Ana thought about that for a moment. That would make sense. The clones are all of the same DNA. So, they would mean they are all immune, or at least to the best extent, of a lot of things like common colds and flu strands across the Galaxy. That did not mean, however, that they could not be carriers. And that was even worse that they all lived in close quarters. If even just a group of five clones went to a planet and came back to the barracks, within hours the entire clone army would most likely be carriers. Even though Ana had never been to Ryloth, if one small army did go, then they could have passed a flu strand from there to Ana based on passing it to other clones. Ana realized it would make sense for her to pick something up from them. She probably had multiple different infections. 

No wonder the Kamonians spent so much time ensuring that the clones were regularly immune or highly protected from different viruses. Perhaps one or all could get a mild cold or flu every now and then. If a group evolved into a better immunity of a certain strand, such as if a group were on Onderon for a while then they may not get sick from viruses from Onderon, while the others may get a small cough at most. Either way, the same DNA meant that as carriers, the virus would go to each one more than quickly. Ahsoka said within a couple of hours, but depending on how close they were, it could be less. Ana wondered if there could be a way to measure how fast it could go. For all she knew, it could pass through the barracks within minutes. No wonder it would pass to the Jedi so quickly even if they did not make contact with the originally infected clones. 

While the sicknesses could very easily pass over the clones, if there _was_ an illness hat could infect and kill the clones, they could also be wiped out within a matter of hours. As long as the Kamonians were constantly updating and securing, they would be fine. Despite herself, Ana couldn’t help but find it interesting.

If there was a design flaw with the clones, that would be it.

Ana sighed before chuckling lightly, signing at the same time, though a bit more sloppy than normal, “now I am wondering what exactly I all have.”

Ahsoka couldn't help but let out a small snort before answering with a smile, “well the common flu at least, though you could have two different streams. And they can be from all over the galaxy. One stream may be from Dantooine and the other from Corellia. There are some clones that just got back from both places.”

_Excellent,_ the redhead thought. 

“For the next couple of months, you’re probably going to be pretty sick on and off while you build your immunity to different illnesses across the galaxy that the clones give you,” Ahsoka told her.

Ana rolled her eyes and rolled slightly in her bed, now laying on her back as she puffed out some air.

“Great,” Ana groaned. “At least I have something to look forward to.”

As Ahsoka began to giggle, vibrating the bed slightly again, Ana couldn’t help but smile herself. The younger girl turned to look at the redhead again and she smiled towards her.

“I see that Master Kenobi is starting to break you out of your shell and is already starting to rub off on you,” Ahsoka commented.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re telling me you haven’t noticed how sarcastic he can get?” Ahsoka asked, raising an eyebrow. After, she thought for a moment before she shrugged, “however I guess it could just be naturally directed to Master Skywalker.”

This time, Ana couldn’t help letting out a small snort. Ahsoka giggled as well before Ana answered her, “well, I guess I’ve noticed. He’s still not fantastic with his signing though so sometimes it takes a bit to rework his statements…and I also have not seen him actively working with Master Skywalker yet.”

Ahsoka smiled and nodded, “fair enough.”

Ana gave her another smile before she shifted a little in the bed to get into a more comfortable position. She stared up at Ahsoka and the Togruta moved right back into conversation.

“Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on your first mission,” Ahsoka told him, “you certainly made an impression with everyone.”

As though she couldn’t help it, Ana groaned. Her small blush may have been seen if her cheeks weren’t already a little red from sickness. She didn’t quite mind the words from Ahsoka so much, but she hated attention. And if Ahsoka was saying she made an impression, it meant that Ahsoka was not the only one talking about Ana and the mission lately. Most of the time she received attention it would end in feelings that she did not want to go through again. She could only be happy that at least she wasn’t around to hear it. At least it sounded positive, but still. She forced older memories away. 

The Togruta girl looked surprised.

“I thought that you’d be happy you were successful on your first mission!” Ahsoka commented. “I know that you’ve been waiting for a chance to be a Padawan for a while.” 

“I am happy, but I hate the attention that I am apparently getting,” Ana explained. “I was just doing my job as Commander.”

“You did more than that!” Ahsoka said, exasperated. “You tunnelled underground to set off bombs and then you held a broken wire so that three clones wouldn’t fall to their deaths! It’s impressive?”

Ana sighed and signed as she spoke, “all in a day’s work?”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, “you should stop being so humble.”

Ana shrugged again.

“I don’t feel like I did anything special,” Ana told her, shifting to get into another position. “I just did what I had to. So I had a good idea. The trick was that I fit. If I didn’t then my idea wouldn’t have been a good idea. And I wouldn’t ave destroyed my new clothing.”

The Togruta girl could only look exasperated at her.

“Okay, fine, it all depended if you fit in the tunnels, but you basically single-handedly did the first part of the mission yourself. Master Kenobi said that you’re the one who thought of the idea to get close and to set up the bombs underground,” Ahsoka said.

Ana made the mental note to talk to her Master about his telling of stories. It’s not that she didn’t mind that he was telling others, but she hoped to Force that he wasn’t bragging or trying to constantly bring it up in attention.

She also made the mental note to talk to Cody about that too. She doubted that the guys in the Battalion weren’t talking about her heroics too. Just how much did the story blow up while she was away sick and couldn't deflate it? 

Ana only sighed before answering, “beginner’s luck, I guess.”

“Ana, you went out of your way to save three men!” Ahsoka tried to insist before Ana turned her head.

“Two, actually…”

The redhead didn’t turn to look at her, her eyes only at the wall in front of her on the other side of the room. The tidy dresser with nothing on the top except a mirror and some hairbands. Ahsoka opened her mouth to say something before she tapped the other girl’s shoulder. Ana forced her head to turn to look at her friend and explained.

“I brought three up, but one still died,” Ana explained. “He was shot.”

Ahsoka nodded empathetically, a frown coming to her face. Despite their differences, _that_ feeling was something that Ahsoka knew well. 

“Is that what this is about?” Ahsoka asked her.

Thinking for a moment, Ana then shook her head. She could see the damage that she had done to Ahsoka’s mood. That wasn’t fair. Ahsoka was an excited person normally, and she was hoping her hyped up excitement about Ana’s successful mission would rub off on her and yet all Ana did was shoot it down. 

“No, it’s not,” she answered before inching down more into the pillows, “I’m sorry, Ahsoka. I know that you are just trying to cheer me up and get me all excited about my first mission. I appreciate it, I really do. I just hate attention.”

Ahsoka nodded.

“I’m just really happy for you. And when I heard what you did…I guess I was proud? In a way. I knew that you were that kind of person and I’m glad that you so easily moved into the missions. I know that you were nervous about it,” Ahsoka told her. “I guess I forgot about what you would have seen.” 

Ana shook her head, “I’m sorry I killed your excitement. Honestly, I’m really glad that you’re excited and supporting me. It means a lot. I guess I’m just sick.”

Ahsoka gave her a smile and told her, “I think I know what else it is…but Ana, if you ever need to talk about…well all _that_ , then you can come to me.”

As a soft, but sure smile came to her face, Ana nodded. Ahsoka smiled back. At least she was a bit more calmed down now, but Ana hoped that the happiness would come again.

“Thanks. I’m glad I have someone to show me the ropes,” Ana told her. And in all honesty, she really was grateful. At least she knew that she could go to Ahsoka if she needed to. It was good to know that she had two options to talk to someone if she needed to. Already, she wasn't so sure that she could go to Obi-Wan for everything.

Gently moving some hair out of her face, Ana tried to change the subject before coughing slightly to try and relieve an itch in her throat. 

“Well, I guess I’ll focus on some good things that happened,” Ana answered. “At least I saved two.”

“Two more than what could have been,” Ahsoka agreed. “You learn to take the small victories sometimes.”

Ana nodded in agreement. She knew that it was something she would have to take. Small victories were sometimes as good as the big ones.

Still, she knew that she would always gear towards the big. That was just the thing with her, but at least she knew it. 

looking at her hands carefully, Ana noticed that they were still dry and scrapped almost raw from the mission and travelling through the tunnels. She could only imagine the horror that her elbows and arms were from constantly going against it. Nova put some bacta patches on it, but she knew that it would take a bit to fully heal.

However, her hands did bring up another memory; one that couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face. Ana turned to Ahsoka and told her, “I think some of the clones are starting to pick up sign language too.” 

The smile that returned to Ahsoka’s face was like a brightening awakening and reassurance that Ana’s smile could widen as well.

“Really?” she asked.

Ana nodded.

“A lot of them were interested about certain words and their names,” Ana explained. “And Waxer even tried to say a small sentence to me during the battle.”

That intrigued Ahsoka more and Ana could see it. So, she explained.

“Well, he got a word wrong. He signed ‘what’ instead of ‘how’ but he still picked up the words from Cody and I communicating earlier in the night, I’m sure,” Ana explained, signing the difference as well as she spoke. “Honestly, I’m really impressed. Even if he got a word wrong, it was a really good try, especially just from watching us for a short time.”

“That’s great!” Ahsoka told her. “The clones can get interested easily on somethings. I don’t know Waxer that well, but I’ve only heard good things. I guess he likes learning new languages, or at least he was fascinated enough.”

“He certainly is observant,” Ana agreed. So far she didn’t meet a clone she didn’t like, and there personalities were interesting and refreshing to be around after knowing the same people—and the same type of people—all her life.

Ahsoka smiled and in the back of her mind, Ana was aware that Obi-Wan was coming closer. However, that back thought didn’t become apparent until the light on her wall flashed again to signal that someone was at the door, who she could sense was her Master.

He opened the door more than the small crack Ahsoka left and looked at the two sitting in the bed. He was holding a water bottle, of which Ana knew that he was going to give her again. As she gave her Master a smile, Ana could also see that ashore and Obi-Wan had a short conversation, or another short greeting, before she saw him sign while he talked, "I hate to make an interruption and break the conversation, but I think you should get back to resting, Ana. You are still recovering."

Although she didn’t particularly want to, Ana nodded a little sadly and turned to Ahsoka.

“He’s right. I’m still pretty sick and also tired,” Ana told her friend. The frown that Ahsoka sported was also saddening, but Ana knew that Obi-Wan was right. And honestly, she was still a little tired.

Ahsoka nodded, folding to her agreement.

“Alright. Try and feel better soon!” Ahsoka told her. “Hopefully we can work together soon.”

A smile suddenly appeared on Ana’s face. She certainly wouldn’t mind that. It would be nice to team up with familiar faces. And she would get first hand experience of the dynamic duo of Kenobi and Skywalker the Masters around the Temple were constantly talking or groaning about. And hose new that Ahsoka would help keep her focused and confident. 

“Perhaps,” Ana agreed, “thanks for visiting.”

Ahsoka nodded, already moving out of the bed. She looked down at the redhead as she stood beside the bed before answering, “feel better soon!”

“Thanks,” Ana told her, watching as Ahsoka left the room. She saw the Padawan and her Master make a small goodbye before Obi-Wan turned his attention back to her and Ahsoka let herself out. Ana watched Obi-Wan walk to her, offering her a smile as he offered her the bottle of water. Graciously, Ana took it, already moving to twist the cap. Already, he was moving closer to feel her forehead.

“Thank you,” she answered him, letting him cup his hand against her forehead. 

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment as Ana took a drink of the water. Finally, her Master dropped his hand and the two looked at each other. Obi-Wan’s soft demeanour did make Ana feel somewhat better and comforted. In all honesty, though she would never admit it, it was kind of nice to be taken care of for once. 

“You still have a bit of a high fever, but at least you are coherent now,” Obi-Wan told her. “At least you are somewhat on the mend.”

“Better than nothing,” Ana agreed, forcing herself to drink more of the water. She relaxed in the pillows and stared up at him with a small smile.

“Do you think you are up to eating anything?” Obi-Wan asked her.

“Not quite yet,” Ana answered.

“Keep drinking the water then. At least stay hydrated.”

“Yes, Master. Thank you.”

The Jedi Master smiled and turned to leave her. Ahsoka placed the bottle on her nightside table and then relaxed under the covers, closing her eyes to try and fall back asleep. Luckily it came soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place in Season 2, Episode 9: Grievous Intrigue.

**_ Chapter Ten _ **

 

Ana had just finished brushing her hair from a shower. Looking at herself in the mirror, she stared at her hair and her face before moving her hair up in a certain position. It flowed both down her back and over her shoulders. Frowning a bit, she repositioned it before setting it down. It would be better when it was almost completely dried so that the waves would show. 

Getting up, Ana had finished putting on her clothing when she sensed slight panic from her Master. Raising an eyebrow, she started to move towards the door when she already saw the blinking from the lights go off as knocks were set against her door.

She knew it was Obi-Wan, but she was not expecting the concerned look on his face and his message of “We are needed. The council was given an urgent message from General Grievous”. Sensing his urgency and seeing how fast he was going to gather himself up to be presentable, Ana was quick to put on her boots and follow her Master down the halls to the Strategy Room.

By the time that they got there, as she walked down the steps, she saw that Master Windu, Master Yoda, and Master Gallia were already connecting Masters Koon, Fisto, Mundi, and Luminara through the holo com projectors. No doubt Master Mundi was still on his mission, even if it was weeks ago. The holo projector in the centre was projecting a frozen message with a red hue. The other Masters only gave Ana and Obi-Wan a small nod of a greeting, if they even acknowledged them at all, however she could sense the slight tension around them. The feeling of concern was heavy.

Getting closer to the communications system, Ana’s eye was caught by the projected image in the middle of the beacon, ready to start when pressed. The large figure, the one almost looming over the viewer, even through a holo message. They were tall and broad, but perhaps that was just his metal exterior making him look much larger than he actually was. Still though, the thing in front of her had a menacing look about it. Whether it was the stone-robotic face or the weirdly piercing eyes, both into the viewer and in his own metal skin. Perhaps it was the oddly shaped head piece. It was unique but had a menacing charge about it. How could metal have such a startling view. The design seemed to do it’s work. She couldn’t tell if the markings on the metal were real from times of battle or just from the projected image. She had heard of the infamous General Grievous, but to still see it was…disconnecting in one of the most real but awful ways. It almost made her skin crawl. 

Ana’s brows furrowed as she saw the metal figure looming over another on the ground. Her face only contorted more when she saw it was Master Koth. She felt something sink in her stomach. He seemed to be limped down and Ana didn’t know if she should fear if he was dead or if he was alive yet still in the hands of Grievous. 

Ana barely noticed the other Jedi come in. She could feel more presences in the room, but it was over her head, Her eyes were still overlooking the metal being, feeling as though the distance between them was closing. 

Obi-Wan’s slight waving just caught her eye and her attention immediately moved to him, her eyes having to adjust to the real in comparison to the long stared- holo. She was slightly surprised to see that Anakin was on the other side of Obi-Wan as he talked with some of the other Masters, her eyes just catching as he talking towards Master Luminara, his back almost completely to her “-ka on her way with Barriss.”

Obi-Wan began to sign and her attention was immediately brought back to him while she saw in the corner of her eye, Master Windu speaking. Ana looked at him and gave the Master her attention as he signed to her _I’ll interpret, for you._

The redhead nodded her eyes turning to the image briefly when she saw it starting to move. She barely felt others enter the room, briefly sensing Ahsoka before she saw Obi-Wan already signing to her, his eyes going to the holo - image briefly, as though it would help him hear before signing as well as he could by memory.

"Greetings, Jedi."

Ana took a brief second to look at the image again. She saw the robotic being move Eeth Koth by the back of his clothes, as though swinging it like a trophy. It was starting to make Ana feel sick to her stomach. 

Turning back to Obi-Wan, she saw him pause briefly before signing again.

"It would seem, once again, one of your Order has lost his way…And even better, a leading member of your Jedi Council."

When Obi-Wan paused for a moment, Ana looked over to the image as well, her frown deepening as she saw Master Koth cringe and his distressed face as he was manhandled.

"Listen to me, Jedi," Ana watched Obi-Wan’s hands, "I do not care about your politics."  


Ana’s eyes went to the screen again as she watched Grievous suddenly throw Master Koth to the ground. The Jedi just laid there in defeat, as though he was also trying to get his breath again. Ana could only knew that this treatment would be nothing in comparison to what he was likely to face. The redhead had heard many stories of Separatist torture. 

"I do not care about your Republic."

"I only live to see you die."

The image caught Ana’s eye again when she saw the different motions again. This time, even Obi-Wan lowered his hands slightly as his full attention went to the holo-image of the message. To her horror, Ana watched a large droid, almost as tall as Grievous, take his shocking weapon and force it into Master Koth’s back. She felt her stomach churn when she saw the Jedi Master wriggle and cringe uncontrollably from the shock, his body reacting from the shocks out of their own biological will. 

Ana’s eyes caught something almost immediately after and she squinted down at Master Koth’s figure in slight confusion, her eyes looking towards his moving hands before new feelings distracted her. Sensing a sharp pin of fear, Ana’s eyes were then drawn behind her, looking over her shoulder to see two Jedi younglings move towards Ahsoka for comfort. The Padawan looked slightly startled for a brief moment before she adhered to comforting them as best as she could, no doubt the horror still going on and the sound effects still reaching their ears. Why they were in the room in the first place, Ana did not know. Ana barely saw Ahsoka look back up, an expression as though a snarl was about to escape her lips before Obi-Wan motioned with his hand, catching her eye enough to see him sign the rest of the message. 

"But death will not come so easily for Master Koth."

"I will make him suffer endlessly, because I know that is more painful for you all."

Ana’s eyes moved back towards the holo image, Master Koth still on the ground as the robotic head moved, no doubt saying something that Obi-Wan didn’t sign to her. However, Ana got the message loud and clear without needing to actually hear it.

As the holo image suddenly disappeared, and even though Ana couldn’t hear it, she could tell that the entire room suddenly broke into worried and angry chatter over what they had just seen. 

Ana felt as though her stomach was sinking. She had kind memories of Master Koth. He was one of the Jedi who regularly signed with her. He was one of the Masters who actively tried to communicate with her in the Jedi hallways and was always eager for one-on-one lessons if she required them. And he always offered her a smile. She felt her heart sink slightly at the thought that this message may be the last time she sees him. 

Gazing around, she watched Master Yoda make a shooing motion towards the younglings.

“Away with the younglings,” he said gently, though his face was laced with concern. “Much there is to discuss.”

Ana watched as the younglings were pulled away, glad that they were finally leaving the room and being pulled away from this.

Looking back to Obi-Wan, she saw that he was looking towards Anakin.

“…an end to that monster,” Anakin spoke up.

Anakin paused and Ana looked around slightly confused, knowing that someone answered him, but she couldn’t see who before her eyes caught something else that became an interest to her as they were moving back towards Obi-Wan, going to ask him what they were planning. 

She watched as a clone, one with a completely white eye with a scar going down his features walk up behind Master Plo and whisper something into his ear before the two moved to stand up straight. Master Plo’s arms were crossed and although he was planets, whole systems away, Ana had grown up with that body language and knew that he was angered. Whether it was over Grievous’s actions or the fact that he wasn’t with Msater Koth to help him, Ana didn’t particularly know. Her mind became preoccupied again when she caught Obi-Wan signing again, already into a slight habit of trying to sign as he talked.

“After engaging Grievous, we lost contact with Mast Koth,” Obi-Wan said, his head lowering slightly as though in sadness. Ana didn’t know that he had been contacting Grievous, but then again she had been sick for the past little while and things easily went past her for those days, “He could be anywhere.”

Ana tried not to let her own fear show on her features. She couldn’t let that show. She shouldn’t…

When everyone turned to look at the holo-images again. Ana brows furrowed and she looked towards Obi-Wan and asked: "what’s going on?"

Although his eyes were still drawn to Master Plo, Obi-Wan answered her, his signing slower as he also tried to follow the rest of the conversation. "Commander Wolffe thinks that he found another message. They’re going to replay the transmission," Obi-Wan narrated.

Ana nodded and her eyes, like everyone else, cast to the holo image of the message again. Ana watched as the image closely trying to look for what the underlying message could be. Then, just as suddenly as the first time, her eyes were drawn to Master Koth’s hand, the one stretched out. Her eyes widened in realization. How had she not connected that before? Had she looked at it longer perhaps she wouldn’t have thought the movements were just from his body moving from the electric prod. Ana didn’t realize that she said the answer at the same time as Anakin.

“He’s signing,” Ana spoke, already stepping forward as though to try and see the fingers any easier. 

She could already feel everyone’s eyes on her. She didn’t know particularly why and she didn’t particularly like all their eyes on her. It was like a silent pressure. Most of the Masters in attendance knew how to sign, but they regarded her as though she were a code-keeper.

Watching Master Koth, she immediately recognized the signs he was making, spelling things out with one hand while still trying to be discrete. Brows furrowing, Ana tried to understand and relay the message.

“Saleucami System…sector J-19…Zero-eight, zero-five, two-nine,” Ana told them, her focus now moving from the fingers back to the other Masters who still gazed at her. The message was only confusing to her. She knew of the Saleucami System, but the numbers might as well be in an ancient language she never studied. 

“I don’t know what that means,” she admitted to the other Masters.

Adi Gallia was already looking very confused as she pondered over the message.

“Salucemi?” she asked, confusion written all over her face, as were many others in the room. Ana’s brows furrowed as she tried to understand what Master Gallia said as the woman moved her hand towards her mouth; a regular nervous habit by the Jedi Master that Ana had come to know after years of being taught by her…or at least trying to be taught. Finally, the Jedi Master’s hand moved and Ana saw her explain, “Grievous has no ships near that sector.”

As everyone’s heads turned, Ana took the cue and followed, just managing to catch Master Yoda replying “—inaccurate our intelligence is.”

Just when she thought her mind was no longer rolling as she went to try and go between all the speakers, Obi-Wan caught her attention again by signing as he spoke to the rest of the council. Ana didn’t think with all the Jedi Masters, especially since the majority of them could sign, that she felt as though she needed a constant interpreter.

However, her stomach was already starting to twist at the thought of pointing it out and asking them to sign for her. 

Feeling a little dizzy, she watched Obi-Wan sign as he spoke, "I shall go."

The determination on his face told Ana that there was no debating that.

Ana barely nodded before her Master turned to look at Anakin. Ana’s eyes followed, but noticed that she had already missed what he said. Watching Master Gallia step forward as well, she turned to Obi-Wan, silently asking for clarification.

Already, Obi-Wan was signing Anakin and Master Gallia are going to join us on the rescue mission.

Ana nodded, understanding. She looked at the others and caught Master Yoda’s eye for a brief moment. Almost immediately after, Master Yoda turned to look at Obi-Wan.

“Take your Padawan, will you?” Ana saw Yoda ask him.

Moving in slight anticipation, Ana turned her head to look back up at Obi-Wan. Although she couldn’t see it, Ana wasn’t the only one. Many of the Masters now regarded Obi-Wan as he looked down at Ana, conflict well shown on his features. Ana waited patiently, looking up at him with eager eyes. It was obvious that Obi-Wan was in quick debate over what to do, but after a couple of seconds Obi-Wan sighed.

“I believe I will,” Obi-Wan answered. “You will meet Grievous sometime.”

Ana nodded and smiled, both nervous for the occasion but glad that she saw she was fit for it. If Obi-Wan really had doubts about her ability to go on the mission, he would not take her. Ana knew that for sure.

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin and explained as he signed, “I’ll contact Cody. Get Rex and the others ready. Cody will need to debrief your men on the new hand signals they will need to learn and follow.”

 

* * *

 

As the ship entered the galactic stars, Ana stood at the front of the ship with Obi-Wan while still behind some of the clone pilots. Admiral Yularen was not too far behind in his own ship, almost over them. The rumble of the ship moved at her feet and she felt an odd sense of calm as she stared out at the starry view for the mission that they were leading into. 

The trip over was relatively quick and calm for how nervous Ana was feeling. She didn’t know what made the sinking feeling in her stomach worse: the fact that Master Koth was still at the hands of General Grievous or about the fact that Ana herself may face him. Although she was on her first mission, this was a mission that had a lot more at stake. Maybe she was just nervous…and that only set her nerves up higher. Would she be this nervous for every mission? Gulping, Ana just hoped that Obi-Wan wasn’t sensing too much of her fears. She didn’t want to seem incompetent. 

Obi-Wan stared off at the world and stars for a little bit longer before he started the com-unit. Almost immediately, the projected image of Anakin, Rex, and Master Gallia appeared on front of them.

The two leaders looked down to acknowledge them.

“We are just waiting for the okay from Cody that the pilots are all set up,” Obi-Wan explained, signing as he talked. The projected images nodded, settling in their seats as they followed closely behind them in their own ship.

Almost as though he came on command, not too much longer Ana could sense Cody’s presence coming closer. Although Obi-Wan did not look back, Ana did. As Cody walked into the cockpit, Ana offered him a smile as he walked in very much a straight line with as much natural leadership that could show. As he walked he carefully took his helmet off and set it under his arm, stopping on the other side of Ana. The Commander and General both turned to look over their shoulders slightly at him and Cody offered a nod, his lips hard-pressed and locked eyes show how words are not needed.

Obi-Wan makes a slight nod back before he turns back to Anakin, Rex, and Master Gallia over the com-unit. 

“Are you ready?” Obi-Wan asked, as though he was making sure.

Ana turned to Cody and saw that he was getting his hands back up, wordlessly understanding her question. Well, it was that or Obi-Wan talked to Cody about interpreting for her whenever he could. Either way, Ana was grateful. Although Cody and Obi-Wan weren’t perfect, she could follow along the conversations a lot easier. She still felt slightly dizzy from the conversation in the meeting.

"Skywalker and Gallia are ready", Cody narrated.

Ana nodded. 

“I shall engage the Separatist fleet and send you the coordinates of Grievous’ command ship,” Obi-Wan explained. Already his signing seemed to be doing better.

Seeing Anakin moving in the holo, she looked back to Cody for an explanation as his mouth at this angle and size was too fuzzy for her to recognize. 

"Skywalker is just…"Cody seemed to be searching for the word and how to sign them, "joking about making sure that Obi-Wan is correct on the coordinates."

Ana nodded, already turning back to Obi-Wan just to catch him say “I always do” with even a small smile appearing on his face. Ana barely had time herself to take in that thought before she noticed Gallia moving. 

Turning to Cody again, he was already signing, "General Gallia is asking how we will get on Grievous’s ship."

Ana nodded and turned back to Obi-Wan, “…the good general and I have a history.” Any trace of the small smile that he had before was gone as a deep frown and troubling thoughts traced over all of his features. “I’m sure he’ll want to even the score face-to-face.”

Seeing Cody start to sign again, Ana turned her head to look at him, during this time, "Skywalker and Gallia will jump onto the command ship without being detected."

Ana already knew the plan, but she could talk about that with Cody after. At least he was making the effort. 

“Hopefully by the end of this mission, we will have saved Master Koth and captured General Grievous,” Obi-Wan says. With every word, Ana sees that his face grew darker and darker, though she could see the hint of determination in his stance. 

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Master,” Anakin answered, Ana just managing to catch his words, “May the Force be with us.”

The three on the ships barely even said goodbye before the message was put to a stop, the projecting image dropping.

As the projection disappeared, there was quiet among the three as they stood there in slight silence, taking the conversation in and what it meant, as though it was a finalization that the mission was going to proceed. After a couple of seconds, Ana turned to Obi-Wan and asked, trying to force a small laugh off her shoulders.

“Should I ask about this ‘history’,” Ana asked, a grin pulling up the tips of her lips.

Obi-Wan turned to look at her and the joke had the same effect on him. He grinned lightly before replying, “I don’t have the time, but I know Cody will be able to tell you quite a few stories.”

Obi-Wan nodded off to Cody, who was starting to grin himself, his lips ever so slightly turning into a smile, the hardness in his eyes starting to diminish.

It was amazing what simple jokes could do.

 

* * *

 

The Force was jarred and rippling around her, like the waves of a choppy ocean as Ana tried to centre herself in meditation. She had felt the fear in herself and the jarred edge of the Force around her while in flight and she asked if she could meditate during the trip through hyperspace so that she could try and find more peace in the Force before the rescue mission started. However, trying to link into the Force only seemed to make this feeling worse. Ana couldn’t tell if the disturbance was from her own fears or from the pain that Master Koth was going through. The Force was stronger than it was before, but not at all in a good way, or one that Ana felt before. The soft breeze of the Force seemed to have turned into a hurricane with sharp pushes and pulls, slamming you all over the place. A soft string turned into a large and scruff rope. 

It was uncomfortable, yet shifting. Ana could still sense the small, though it seemed farther in her mind, pulse in the true force, the origin of it in herself. As she tried to calm it and surrender her fears into it, she found it slightly easier to navigate through the en—

Ana jumped slightly at the gentle tap on her shoulder and she opened her eyes to see Cody standing in front of her as she sat on her bedroll. She didn’t realize she was that deep in the connection to herself that she couldn’t sense Cody come in. Opening her eyes, she took in a breath as she felt the energy of meditation come to a halt in her body or leave her. Looking up, she sees Cody standing there, looking awkward and also slightly worried at the sudden intrusion.

“Sorry, Boss. We’re right about to enter the Selucemi System. General Kenobi told me to get you,” Ana could see he was trying to speak formal and professionally, as though hoping it would reach his features. She was sure that he probably didn’t have to tap Obi-Wan’s shoulder to get him out of meditation. But Ana couldn’t hear if he called her name.

Getting to her feet, Ana offered him a smile and hoped that the wish actually made it to her lips to try and ease him.

“It’s fine, Cody. And thank you,” she told him, already walking with him out of her quarters. She held up a finger and told him as she walked, meeting a couple of other clones move to get in place as they walked to the cock-pit, “As well, Commander’s orders: don’t call me Boss.”

Looking over at him, she saw Cody nodded, a more relieved smile growing upon his features.

Ana gave him a last smile before they entered the cock-pit. Obi-Wan was still in the same place he was when she had left. Placing his helmet back on, Cody stayed a couple of steps behind Ana as she went to stand beside Obi-Wan. The Master looked back at her and gave her a nod, his features still troubled.

“You look a little better,” Obi-Wan commented to her. “Do you feel ready?”

Ana shrugged. In a sense, she did feel better and more connected to the Force. She would just have to keep trying to connect through the choppy waves. Even the last battle didn't feel as bad as this in the Force, but she knew she would have to keep her connection if she were to stay focused. 

“I guess I have to be,” Ana answered. Because no, she didn’t feel ready, but at the same time, she knew that she wouldn’t. Maybe not at this point at least; she could always dream. But for now, she was going to have to be ready and live up to it.

Obi-Wan nodded once more accordingly before the ship suddenly bursted out of hyperspace, immediately slowing down in momentum. Suddenly in front of them as the group of Republic ships drew closer, Ana saw one larger ship and three small ones floating around it in front of her. Ana’s eyes narrowed slightly as the shift in the Force came as a warning in the air, but she brushed it off, knowing the source was there in front of her.

Obi-Wan pressed a couple of different buttons on the com console in front of him before he turned to Ana, a screen starting to come up on the com unit as it was trying to connect, sending a request to the other ship.

“Ana, stand at the side; Cody translate for her,” Obi-Wan commanded.

Neither had any words to say against the instructions and moved from the view of the camera image for the screen. 

Ana and Cody stared at them for only a brief moment before Obi-Wan started talking, Ana moving to step back, closer to the consoles so that she could get a better angle at her Master’s face to see what he was saying, while still keeping Cody in her eyesight. 

They certainly didn’t need to wait long for the connection to be accepted.

“General, I knew that one day I’d catch up to you,” Obi-Wan said to the screen with a tight look on his face. Although the angle was wrong to see the whole screen, Ana could see that the blank screen was now showing a larger metal room on it, with another metal object moving around it. She could only guess it was Grievous. Turning to Cody, she waited to see what the reply was. 

Cody waits for a moment before signing Grievous comments that he knows we are here to take him back to Coruscant for prison.

Ana turned back to Obi-Wan and saw him answer, talking and moving with ease as though he was undisturbed, but Ana could sense his slight fear and anger and resounding determination in his Force signature.

“You know me too well,” Obi-Wan answered, not even turning his gaze to give her and Cody away. 

Before anything else could happen, Ana watched the screen suddenly turn black and she looked towards Cody with a confused expression, but Obi-Wan was already answering for him.

“Grievous’s plans seem to differ from ours,” Obi-Wan explained, joking ever so slightly. “He must be very focused. He didn’t talk as much as he normally does.”

Ana couldn’t help but feel her lips start to tug upwards slightly. Her Master seemed to be very…peculiar sometimes.

“I’ll send the message to Anakin that we are getting started,” Obi-Wan noted, barely signing this time as he brought his arm up, pressing a button before Ana’s attention turned to the view outside. 

She watched as some of the Republic ships moved forward. Meanwhile, the main Separatist ship was also starting to move closer, along with the smaller ones moving slightly faster. It was not long before the lights of blaster bolts moving through the atmosphere towards them. The battle was already going to commence. Grievous waited no time for dramatic effect. The Republic was quick to fire back, the two different blaster bolts decorating the air like coloured meteor showers.

Obi-Wan commented briefly, Ana just barely catching it as the movement of him putting his arm up again to press the com-unit caught her eye, “Well, we certainly have his attention.” 

Cody was looking over at Obi-Wan as well. Ana could only suspect that now that the first part of the plan was stroked off, the next was about to commence before the third instalment came in. 

Bringing his wrist closer to his mouth, Obi-Wan spoke into the com-link, his face all seriousness and easily showing a one trail thought, “Admiral Yularen, keep Grievous’ fleet occupied so Anakin’s arrival is undetected.”

Although Ana wasn’t able to hear if the Admiral answered verbally, she was able to see his answer visually as his ship and the small battle ships flew forward and were approaching the Separatist ships, firing at the will of the clones. The blaster bolts were now moving through the air, making the show full of rapidly firing and moving red and blue lights. Ana felt her throat begin to tighten before she gulped, pushing down the fears.

Obi-Wan turned towards Cody slightly, looking past Ana as he spoke to him, though still signing so that Ana wouldn’t be completely lost in the conversation.

“Commander Cody, do you have the exact coordinates of the command ship yet?” Obi-Wan asked, almost as soon as he was done, his arms moved back down so that he could cross them over his chest again.

Cody nodded slightly before answering and signing back, “We are patching them through now, Sir.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He turned to look at Ana and she gave him a small smile back, as though she was both assuring him and herself.

“I know I don’t need to say this, but stay sharp…and try to follow the plan. However, considering Anakin is a part of this, there may be quite a bit of improvising before we get to the end of this.”

Ana could already tell that Cody wanted to say something as well and she had to force herself not to grin at the implication. Before Obi-Wan could say too much more, the entire ship was jolted to the left. The movement was rigged and sharp, and so was the then stiffened feeling of the ship that was no doubt now locked in a tractor beam. 

The redhead jolted and was quickly falling to her side along with everyone else in the ship. She hastily reached out for one of the chairs to help break her fall. In the corner of her eye, Ana saw the hands and arms of the other two reach out as well. Thankfully, she was able to grab the one shoulder of the chair, helping her keep some balance, but in the quick seconds she was falling and grabbing the side, she could still feel herself falling, almost as though she was tripping over her feet and the ground. The metal never felt so slippery until now.

When she was sure that she was going to hit the ground, Ana felt a hand at her wrist, pulling her the other way to help try and balance her out. It was just the pull she needed to keep herself up from completely falling flat onto the ground. Within the next second, she was regarding the other clones around her. None who were sitting had fallen off, though they were still straightening up like the ship. She could tell that Obi-Wan was not as lucky. If she could barely hold the seat, she knew that Obi-Wan had no chance. 

Turning to Cody, she noticed him just starting to stand up as well. Beginning to collect herself, Ana told him, slightly breathless: “thank you, Cody.”

He gave her a slight nod before turning to look over at Obi-Wan from over her shoulders. Ana turned to look over the other side as well and noticed that her Master was slowly starting to pick himself up off of the floor. Disc and Coin behind him were also starting to pick themselves up as well. They must have been standing up at the same time as well. If they were not in battle the situation would have been comical. The great Obi-Wan falling in a heap. 

Ana was able to tell that Cody asked a question when she saw Obi-Wan say, deducting that he was answering him, “no, Cody.”

Before Ana could offer any help when she took a step forward, her Master was already on his feet. She could see that he was moving his hand, as though dusting off his shoulder, but she knew it was a false front. She could sense the slight pain through his body and could deduct that he might have landed hard on his shoulder. Perhaps he was more rubbing his shoulder to try and offer any comfort.

“Let them think they have us,” she saw her Master answer, now starting to stand straight up, “We need a diversion for Anakin.”

Brushing off his shoulder again, any indication of a smile was slowly leaving his face as his thoughts came to the more pressing matter at hand. The ship was still moving toward’s Grievous’s and it would not be too long before it would completely attach and they better be waiting to meet with Grievous if they wanted to keep him occupied, but Ana supposed that nothing could make the cyborg more angry than having to hunt through every nook and cranny of the ship to find them.

“We better get going,” Obi-Wan concluded, “Anakin will be arriving in the atmosphere at any moment and they need to come in undetected. And, no doubt that Grievous will be waiting at those doors for us.”

Both Ana and Cody nodded. Obi-Wan turned to the pilots, saying something to them, but at this angle, Ana couldn’t make out any tangible words. Staring at the pilots themselves, Ana watched them get out of the seats and move out of the room, probably getting their armour on.

She was jumped out of her thoughts when she saw Obi-Wan moving towards the exit. She followed him automatically, watching Cody fall in line as well. In the corner of her eye, she watched Coin and Disc both suddenly stand up straight at attention for the General and salute him before falling in behind her and Cody as they followed Obi-Wan out of the cock-pit.

Moving to catch up and walk alongside Obi-Wan and Cody, Ana saw Cody move his arm up to say something in his com-unit before he regarded Obi-Wan. The closer to they got to the bridge and airlocks, the more heightened Ana’s awareness became. There were more bodies, more of a charged air. It almost made the hairs on the back of her neck prick up. The upcoming battle charge coming with every movement they made closer to Grievous’s ship. The charge came worse with that as well. The sense of the Separatist droids becoming closer and closer only made the prick and warning in the Force stronger, as though trying to smother her, to stop her from breathing but Ana was not deterred. 

She fought before, she would do it again. She would do what she needed.

As they turned to go down the hallways to the airlock, Ana could already see that the clones were getting in position, ready for the oncoming strike. Ana watched them move to land against the walls, some standing up but in readying position to run and attack while some were crouched down, ready to fire and strike. 

Obi-Wan signed, looking between the two:

“Remember, we need to keep Grievous on this ship until general Skywalker is clear,” Obi-Wan told them.

Ana and Cody nodded in understanding. They understood the third part of the plan quite well. 

As the group of them stopped, Ana could feel the sups starting to lock together. Obi-Wan turned to Ana and she stared up at him, watching him intently as she felt Cody turn to stand beside her as well.

“Ana, I want you to stay with Cody,” Obi-Wan told her directly, signing as he did so. “I may have to run off to right Grievous, but I need you to stick with Cody. He’s the only clone here who can actively sign and I need you to keep up with what is going on.”

Ana nodded.

“Yes, Master,” Ana promised him. 

As they felt the ship completely attach, the three turned to stand directly in front of the doorway, facing it straight on. Ana’s hand was already turning to freeze over her lightsaber, ready to grab it in an instant while her eyes narrowed as she stared at the doorway…

Waiting.

Taking in a deep breath, there was maybe a second or two of silence before Ana the warning in the Force feeling like it was suddenly stabbing her in her brain before she watched four objects break through the doorway, moving in a circular motion to create a big enough hole in the doorway so that they could get in. Ana could see Kido in the corner right by the doorway, almost getting hit himself. Leaning against the doorway, she could see him aim his gun, getting ready shoot. Ana herself could feel her nails and fingertips brush against the top of her lightsaber. 

Just as the cutting was finished, there was a sudden pulse forward, sending the cut out doorway flying towards them. Acting on instinct, Ana used the Force to push the rocketing metal to the side, knocking it against the wall, but out of the way of herself and the clones. Once that danger was out of the way, the next as the oncoming assault of the blaster bolts flying through the air without any hint of mercy.

Ana was already running forward with her Master after she watched two other clones fall to the ground, moving her lightsaber out of the hold with grace and urgency, feeling the electricity run through her palms as it turned on. Before Ana could make any stance, she was already swinging her lightsaber in tight, yet wide circles to cut off any blaster bolts from hitting her, watching some of them fly back and hit the droids. Keeping an eye on the exit, it was not long before Ana watched two tall IG-100 MagnaGuard droids step out through the hole and came to stand on either side of it, guarding it like their name sake. Ana didn’t know what was more unnerving, their size or the creepy, glowing red eyes.

The large grey cyborg that came walking up through the hole was even more unnerving. Ana immediately recognized the figure of Grievous, however she was not expecting him to be that tall. Bionic legs, she guessed. He could be even five feet taller if he wanted to.

The prickling in the Force became heavy, almost pinching at her skin and down her back as nervousness and slight fear began to creep up her back.

His back was hunched, but she thought that made him more menacing. Up close and in real life, his eyes seemed more startling and piercing than on the holo image’s message. He came in with heavy footsteps, his eyes straight on the Jedi in front of him. Ana stared back, hoping her face was radiating confidence as she wanted to feel. 

She notice Obi-Wan move his hand enough just to catch her attention and when she and Cody looked, Obi-Wan was quickly signing with one hand, "I’ll take G down the corridor. Go left, now and get those droids!"

Although Ana did not like the idea of leaving her Master, she knew not to debate this right now. Obi-Wan knew what he was doing and she had to trust in that. Nodding, Cody was already calling out commands for the remaining clones to follow, though a small amount of them were left, it was better than nothing. Ana was the first to run, turning with her hair flying behind her in it’s ponytail so quickly that Grievous barely had a chance to really look at her before he disappeared.

Running first, Ana could sense the clones falling her and it wasn’t long that they ran up upon the remaining clones that managed to steer off from the original battle. In the back of her mind she could sense the danger Obi-Wan was in from the Force and her worries pricked at the top of her spine, however she knew that he would be fine. She needed to focus on the task at hand and she knew Obi-Wan could take care of himself. She had to have faith in his judgement or the whole relationship, both as Master and Padawan and as a General and Commander. He had far more experience with her and she knew this was not his first encounter with Grievous…like her.

Remembering the cyborg and those droid guards, she felt a little glad she wasn’t facing them head on.

Watching the battle droids turn around and getting ready to aim, Ana immediately took out her lightsaber again and ignited it, the blue glow echoing along the dark metal corridor. Watching the red blaster shots moving towards them again, she curved her blade as needed, feeling the energy from it as the blade sliced the air, reflecting some of the blaster bolts while she saw the clones around her start to materialize around her, getting into a better position for them to fire and counter attack.Cody stayed by her side, shooting his gun with sharp accuracy and precision. Honestly, at the back of her mind she was quite impressed with how well he could shoot in this much pressure. Ana could sense his determination. It wasn’t a wonder he was in a command position.

Taking small steps closer, Ana kept kept moving her lightsaber, her wrists rolling as she kept her arms and shoulders as still as she could, yet somehow bringing some flexibility in the movements when needed as well. Obi-Wan was right, it was just practice. Hopefully she could really master the roll of her wrists soon.

Taking steps closer,she watched Cody and some of the other clones step with her.

Just getting close enough, Ana was already swinging to disassemble the droids. Watching them drop, Ana could only grin as the survivors came forward, almost becoming nose to nose with her.

“Hey ugly,” Ana muttered before she stabbed the droid.

There weren’t too many. A small portion, and definitely a lot smaller than the pocket that was on her last mission that she had to spy on. 

Ana didn’t know how long it took, but pretty soon the droids were dropping quickly, either getting hit by blasters or from her lightsaber. The droids barely had time to aim before they were hit. It wasn't long until there was literally a handful left.

As she watched Cinders and Coin kick down the last of the two droids with their own boots, she could feel the warning of the Force whirling up her back. Turning, Ana could see that Cody was now talking into his com-unit. Ana’s face twisted and took the couple of steps towards him. By the time she got there, it seemed like the message was done. 

"What’s wrong on?" she asked, making the Y sign and placing it to her chin.

"General G is on his way here", Cody signed quickly, moving to the side an aiming his gun towards the end of the hallway, as though regaining his composure and focus.

Before Ana could fully process the message, she could sense pricking against her feet as there was a weird bounding against her feet of something coming this way. Feeling the hair on the back of her neck prick up, Ana immediately got into a defence and attack position as taught, her eyes focused on the end of the hallway as well. Feeling the movements coming closer, or the vibrations of it becoming harder, Ana leaned forward a bit more, preparing.

Within seconds the metal cyborg she had seen only a couple of times before was bounding along the hallway on all fours…or six? The scene reminded Ana briefly of those horror vids on the holo that she and a couple of other younglings would sneak to watch together. It was something like a possession, something paralleling an evil in her nightmares.

As the thing came closer, Ana could sense the slight fear from the clones, however all of them moved onto the oncoming cyborg, ready to attack and stall. If Obi-Wan or one of the other pilots sent the message than Obi-Wan would not be too long before coming. The more they could stall, the better.

Hopefully Anakin and Master Gallia had gotten to Master Koth by now. 

As the three clones beside her moved to fire, Ana watched with narrowing eyes as the metal Sith began to turn head over hands to stand up, twisting in a way that Ana could only imagine as evil. 

Just as Ana thought that she was ready for an attack, she almost jumped back when the bright light and energy of the four lightsabers suddenly pushed forward within the span of a blink. Just as Ana was ready for attack, it suddenly faltered and she found herself moving to quickly dodge the four lightsabers as they came past her. Two blue and two green and, as she had heard before, not ones that were originally his.

He took a look at her and in some awful way she saw that he was somewhat interested in her, with who or what she was, but his lightsabers only swirled in circles, moving as fast as though they were creating a wall and barrier to protect him as he pushed past. From what she had heard, this was out of character of Grievous, but then again, he wasn’t looking to fight or kill, he was looking to escape. 

Ana and the other clones quickly ducked off to the side, Ana on the other side. The redhead stared at the cyborg as it kept running away, this time on two feet. Already, Coin and Disc were aiming their blasters and Ana watched as Grievous didn’t get hit once. 

Acting on instinct, Ana got up to her feet and got into position, ready to sprint after him when she suddenly felt a hand on her arm. She had to suddenly crouch slightly, keeping her balance as the ship immediately began to rock. They were obviously being fired at and Ana didn’t need to sense in the Force that something was seriously damaged.

Her head turned to him sharply and Cinders shook his head, holding her in spot before he held out his arm. Pressing a button, Ana was surprised to see a long coil shoot out of it. Watching the end, she saw it catch and lock Grievous in by the back. Immediately, the four clones came together to pull on the coil, holding it as tight as they could and pulling back.

Watching Grievous start to be Forced back, Ana immediately disengaged her lightsaber before taking a hold on the coil as well, pulling back with the others. With her help, it wasn’t long before they pulled Grievous close, despite how hard Ana could feel him resist against the strain. He was almost tripping as he was moving back, trying to gain balance and move forward.

Just as Grievous came closer, Ana let go and took hold of her lightsaber, igniting it again and crouching. Just as she was about to aim for Grievous’s legs, officially cutting him off from easy escape, before any of them could prepare, Grievous suddenly turned around and rolled, almost as though he was trying to crush them by rolling on top of them. His one leg swung out, effectively hitting Ana’s legs and making her crash almost face-first into the metal ground, her lightsaber falling from her hands and turning off. 

Ana grunted as she laid at the floor, her chest aching slightly from the fast and hard tumble to the ground. She looked up to see that Cody had suddenly jumped up on Grievous’s back in a desperate attempt to make time to hold Grievous on the ship, literally holding him down. 

As Cinders, Disc, and Coin began to jump on top of him as well, somehow hoping the extra weight would help, Ana quickly began to crawl forward on the floor to get her lightsaber again. Reaching out, she grunted as she quickly turned to her side, remembering some early training as she moved her legs and hips up curving and jumping at the same time as she felt her fingers grip the lightsaber. Flying up and twisting back to her feet, Ana stood straight up just in time as Grievous hurled the clones from his back. She could sense Obi-Wan slowly coming closer to them.

As he bounded back towards her, Ana got into position again. This time, Grievous took out one lightsaber. Almost carelessly as he kept running, not even losing a step, she watched him glower down at her and swing his own lightsabers towards hers. Ana defended and moved back trying to strike Grievous herself but he was already gone. 

Breathing hard and her eyes widening with disbelief, she and the clones were already running after him dow the hall. Ana ran ahead of them, her lightsaber swinging along as she ran. Sensing Obi-Wan too close, she hoped that perhaps they could corner him. Obi-Wan wouldn’t be too many hallways away. They could make it! She was sure!

Just as Grievous stopped for a moment, he suddenly bolted again. Ana was panting as she ran, her hair flying behind her like dark flames in the wind. She watched as Obi-Wan turned from down a hallway as well and all of them ran into a brightly lit, shiny metal hallway as they followed him. Almost bumping into Ana, the two were side by side as they ran. 

“Anakin must be close,” Obi-Wan turned his head to tell her.

Ana nodded. They could do it. They were close.

Just as she felt the ship rocking around her again, she moved to make sure to keep her balance.The next time, however, she was not as lucky. When the ship suddenly jolted, Ana, along with the others, were suddenly knocked off their feet. Falling to the metal ground a second time, this one seemed harder. She grunted again, her chest directly landing on one of the shiny grey pillars on the ground. That would sting tomorrow. She could already feel a bruise coming over her breasts, right along the bone.

Before Ana could fully get wind back, she suddenly felt herself being pulled back by gravity and air. Gripping the side as she slowly got up, feeling the ship starting to lean, back. She looked over at Obi-Wan. He was seemingly panting too, doing whatever he could not to hold his side. It was obvious that he had hit the edge too. Their eyes barely made contact before Ana could feel a warning in the Force. Looking back down the hallway, Ana could see that the jolt of the ship had affected Grievous as well. With wide eyes, Ana could see the cyborg barreling towards them in a tumbling, rolling fall. She watched Obi-Wan get out his lightsaber and quickly moved to do the same. She had barely gotten her’s out, her head still a little spacy from the two falls, but she held a daring face and aimed her lightsaber just as Grievous turned and brought out two of his own lightsabers, blocking their attack with ease. 

It all happened within seconds and it was so fast. Were all of their battles going to be like this? Was everything going to count by the second? How had she not noticed that the last battle was so face-paced.

Holding her lightsaber against Grievous’s in an attack swing, Ana tried to pull more pressure on it, but it was no use. Grievous easily pushed back, swinging himself up. The power of his legs making it seem like an effortless task.

As Ana dodged the lightsaber again while Obi-Wan went into another attack and dodge, Ana slowly began to realize what she had been doing so long.

Grievous was a purposely-created cyborg. Despite Ana’s own pride in her own strength, she knew that her, and everyone else’s, strength was nothing in comparison to his. 

If they wanted to beat Grievous, it wasn’t going to be a fight in strength. At least not physical strength.

It was going to be a fight with wit. 

And Ana had something else Grievous didn’t. 

Watching Obi-Wan quickly dodge another lightsaber attack, Ana was already carefully pushing herself off of the wall of the hallway, balancing herself while she held out her hand towards the cyborg.

“Master, stay down!” Ana screamed at him.

Looking back at her for a brief second, Obi-Wan suddenly moved down without the second thought before Grievous barely had the time to turn and look at her.

Without another second, Ana used all of the Force she could to push Grievous hard against the side and she slowly made a fist with her hand, as though putting pressure on the cyborg to hold him down in a ball as she slammed him against the other side. It did at least part of the trick. Grievous dropped the two lightsabers and didn’t have enough control to grab them and attack. 

Just as Ana went to push Grievous down to the end of the hall again, hoping to trap him again in the cyborg’s disorientation, she felt the new sudden jolt.

Before Ana even realized she lost the grip in the Force, she was suddenly brought backwards with the ship, tripping on the angle of her feet and was knocked backwards slightly, making her lose grip on Grievous. Just as she grabbed the wall, her fingers gripping hard to one pillar in the wall, she looked up just to nice that Obi-Wan wasn’t too far away from her as she felt the ship slowly turning again, as though it was slowly falling off a cliff. He must’ve fell too, or he was pushed down. Looking up a little further, Grievous had already gripped the lightsabers again, crawling on all fours again as he crawled back up to safety. 

Ana almost cursed herself, watching Grievous reach the edge and towards the doorway again. Incept breathing, trying to even it out as her mind started to race. Now what could they do? She and Obi-Wan could try making it up to the top. She could use the Force again to bring him down at least. If she brought him towards Obi-Wan then maybe he would get a good slash in. It could end.

As Ana was pushing herself back up again, her eyes saw something that made her entire aching chest feel with relief.

Grievous had yet to shut the door, but he was in battle with someone else. Ana could almost laugh and smile with relief. Although she could barely see her, Ana could sense Master Gallia’s Force Signature, both in rage and in strength. Her mind was clear and focused, an object set in mind as she fought. Perhaps there was still a chance after all. 

But yet, nothing ever stayed on a straight and narrow path.

And yet again, Ana found herself eating her words. 

Her first wrong was trying to stand up and still move forward towards the doorway to get to Master Gallia, the second was not listening to the Force when everything in the Force was telling her to stay down.

Ana wasn’t even on her feet yet when the ship jolted and cracked again. This time, Ana found herself hurdling backwards, rolling backwards with a terrible twist in her back for a few rolls before she instinctively reached her arms out to her side. She was sure she felt a brush of metal against her skin before she fell through. Reaching harder, her fingers gripped a metal wall again and Ana never felt her fingers crush under the force of the pull so much in her life as she gripped to the edge tightly. Her entire body straightened out in a terrible crack, like a whip being cracked and pulled out straight before relaxing again. 

Quickly bringing her next hand up to help her get a grip on the side, she stared up, wondering where Obi-Wan was. For a brief second, there was a moment of panic before she spotted him up closer to the top, Cody holding onto his wrist with a tight grip, his other hand holding the wall in another. Once again, Ana was grateful for Cody and that he was with them.

The next thing to catch her attention was Disc, who had lost grip on his ledge and was falling. Thinking quickly, Ana held her legs together in as tight of a grip as she could and began to slowly swing in preparation.

Just as the clone was about to fall past her, Ana swung as hard as she could onto her side and screamed to catch his attention.

“Disc!”

The sudden new weight on her leg breathed fire into Ana’s tendons as she forced her grip to keep hold. She looked down and saw the clone gripping her one leg with both hands, staring back up at her. For the moment, Ana was glad for the helmet, as it helped to hide his probably terrified face. Taking deep breaths, Ana put her focus on her hold.

At least, until she felt something in the air shoot past her. It was a different texture than from the rushing momentum that she was trying to hold back from. Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar coil and watched the end take hold of the side near the end of the broken off hallway.Looking up, Ana watched Cody and Obi-Wan quickly move for it, using it as a leverage to hoist them back up as they walked. 

Swinging her legs, she waited until she was sure Disc had a close grip on the rope before reaching out for it herself. Disc waited for her, knowing that he was making sure she would get on as well before the two of them were making their way back up to the edge. Obi-Wan had just gone though with Coin not too far behind. 

Cody reached an arm through the hatch doors, using it as leverage to hold him in place from falling back through. Reaching back, Ana gripped his wrist hard. His grip on her wrist was just the same as he pulled her through the opening. As Ana rolled to the side past him, using the doorway as a barrier to keep her from falling through too, she felt Disc come to move beside her before the hatch moved. Keeping her balance, within a second they were closed and Ana could start to feel the relief of air not trying to kill her or force her back. 

She leaned against the doors for a moment, watching and silently thanking Master Gallia as she walked closer to Obi-Wan, who was already talking.

“Hurry. We can still catch him,” Obi-Wan stated, already moving forward. The words almost made Ana lean back into the doorway, trying to gain breath. She didn’t know what she looked like, but she knew that she would need to go forward. 

Just as she was pushing herself off of the doorway, Master Gallia was already walking towards her Master, her own lips moving. Cody and Cinders moved up as well, finishing their quick breathing break as well.

“Obi-Wan, Anakin’s leaving,” Master Gallia tried to reason with him. Ana didn’t need to hear her voice to see hear the gentle persuasion in it. Obi-Wan was still ready to fight, his focus still pushing him, while Master Gallia’s focus was able to make her see the whole situation, “We’ll be trapped on the ship.”

Perhaps she was right. As much fighting as Ana did and she didn’t want it to go to waste, she knew that Master Gallia was right. If they did try to follow, then the surely would lose. If Grievous was nowhere to be seen here, that meant he was more than far away. If they got stranded on a ship then they will be worst off than when they originally were. 

Her eyes turning to her Master, Ana watched as he stared back at her for a short moment before his shoulders sagged slightly. Watching him carefully, she saw that as he looked forward, the second thought of running definitely came. However, Obi-Wan held back, this time moving his arm to talk into the com-unit.

With his back mostly turned to her, Ana could only wait to find out what he was saying. She stepped up beside Cody and looked at him as he searched around the hallway, as though getting ready for Grievous if he would suddenly fall from the sky.

When Obi-Wan turned back to her, he signed quickly (and messily) Anakin is coming to a hanger close by, we need to move, now.

Ana nodded and she bolted at the same time he and Master Gallia did. Running down the hallway, Ana could sense Cody and the other clones behind her, running as well. The ship seemed to keep swaying and jolting around and at this point Ana was surprised that she was still able to maintain a balance, but she flew forward with the others, following her Master. This ship was not going to last long.

It was a good thing that Obi-Wan knew where he was going. Just a step behind, Ana followed him, and stopped with him as they entered the hanger. Her eyes darted around the room. No Anakin, yet, and definitely no other crafts. The battle droids and Grievous had obviously used the emergence and extra ships to escape the doomed vessel.

Within seconds, Ana watched a red and beige ship enter the hanger, moving with speed. Ana could sense it was the Jedi Knight. Before it even had the chance to stop and dock, the group was already running towards it. Master Gallia was the first to go up the ramp, running with agility and speed. Ana followed her at her heels while Obi-Wan and Cody hesitated slightly at the bottom before coming up to follow them. The two were barely off the ramp before it began to come back up. 

This time, walking with a bit more time, Ana watched Obi-Wan walk out of the hanger. She followed close behind, wanting to stay closer to her Master. Walking up to the bridge, Ana was slowly starting to see that Obi-Wan was starting to slouch in slight pain and fatigue of the battle as well. He almost slumped into the chair to his left, but that was all he would let show. Ana could the half profile of his face as he began to talk to Admiral Yularen. The focus and determination was back, as though it, and only it, was always there.

Master Gallia, on the other hand, was already moving towards Master Koth. Seeing the Jedi Master and sensing his familiarity in the Force, nothing could force back Ana’s small smile of relief. Ana barely noticed Anakin flying them towards the main ship, bringing it in to park in the hanger.

The Jedi Master stared back up at Ana and offered her a smile as well.

“I was hoping that I would see you again,” he told her gently. “I’m glad you got my message.”

Ana smiled.

“I’m glad that we made it on time,” Ana told him. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

He smiled back.

“I’ll be a little sore, but nothing damaging,” Master Koth confirmed as Master Gallia leaned back again.

Just as she felt the ship land, Rex was by her side. She stared at him, slightly confused before Master Gallia was already signing, he’ll help Master Koth off the ship. You come with the rest of us.

Ana nodded, moving to step aside for Rex and Master Koth to get back out. Looking back at Obi-Wan, she found that he too was already out of his seat and ready to follow Rex and Master Koth out of the ship. With Obi-Wan just managing to slip past them, Ana instead stayed behind, moving slowly along with the injured Jedi Master as he was carefully guided down the ramp and towards an already awaiting medical droid. 

Keeping herself at an angle to try and see all of them, Cody moved to step beside her, ready to interpret as she saw Master Gallia state she would stay with Master Koth as she moved to stand beside him.

“You all took a great risk rescuing me,” Master Koth said, regret and guilt laced in his tone and facial expressions. 

Obi-Wan, however, was already smiling and Anakin’s was starting to grow like Ana’s.

“You’re welcome, Master Koth,” Obi-Wan insisted.

“Since you divided your forces, Grievous is still at large,” Master Koth began to look down in guilt and slight anger. Looking back up at him, Ana saw his honest face, “I would have gladly given my life if it meant bringing that monster to justice.”

Before Ana could begin to argue with him, insisting that it was not his fault and that his life was worth far more than a capture, Anakin was already talking.

“Well, at least we all live to fight another day,” he stated. At least there was some sense of optimism around here. 

The Jedi Master gave a grateful nod, a smile of reassurance tugging at the edge of his lips. 

Watching him go, Ana fought the urge to walk with them. As much as she wanted to make sure that Master Koth would be okay, she knew that she would be needed elsewhere. She knew Obi-Wan was not finished with this. Not by a long shot.

Ana watched Anakin walk away with barely another glance. Obi-Wan on the other hand, stayed with her for a couple more moments. He turned to look at her and he heaved a good sigh off of his chest.

“You did very well in a heat of chaos, Ana,” Obi-Wan commented. “And you fought your first Sith, and Grievous, nonetheless. A lightsaber duel is not easy to survive with him. You should feel proud of yourself, Ana.”

The redhead stared at him, smiling a bit, only noticing now that a strand of her red hair was curling in front of her eyes. Her ponytail was probably a mess. and she was finally starting to feel some of the wetness on her forehead. Was she sweating hard?

“We’re going down to Selucami. Admiral Yularen said that many of Grievous’s escape pods landed or crashed on it. I’ll have to confirm a plan with him, but for now take a moment’s rest. We’ll be leaving again shortly,” Obi-Wan explained to her.

Ana nodded, forcing herself to offer him a smile. Was that her heartbeat coming back? She hadn’t realized that for the entire battle that she couldn’t feel it.

“Yes, Master,” she told him.

He gave her a nod and his eyes trailed to Cody. He gave the clone a nod before turning, walking towards Rex. Ana turned back to Cody and saw him take off his helmet. The older clone looked at her and he stared at her with slight worry and pride.

“Are you alright?” Cody asked her, watching how her chest was still rising and falling with deep breaths.

The redhead nodded, despite the fact that the feel of her heartbeat making her feel as though she couldn’t breathe as it was so fast.

“I’ll be okay,” she promised him. Motioning to Rex and Obi-Wan behind her, Ana told him, “go with them. Master Kenobi will need you.”

Although Cody didn’t look entirely convinced, he nodded and put his helmet back on. Barely offering her a goodbye, Cody moved with Obi-Wan to talk strategy with Rex.

For now, though, Ana needed to find something enclosed and safe.

Ana kept regulating her breathing as she walked, making sure not to go too far. Her mind was already focusing on what happened. Sometimes you don’t need to think. You just need to do. Some things you can plan, some things you react on what you know. She had done that now. Looking back, Ana realized that for half of the chase, she hadn’t really thought about what to do.

Ana already had a strategy for the upcoming battle, and for the war.

_Make every second count._


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place in Season 2, Episode 10: The Deserter

**_ Chapter Eleven _ **

 

Walking down the ship’s ramp towards the ground with Obi-Wan and Rex, Ana briefly looked around at Saleucami. She had read about it very briefly in texts back at the Temple, although it was such an obscurer planet in the outer region with no real outlining history or events that there weren’t many things to say about it. While some worlds had a couple of pages in “Information of the Worlds, The History”, she remembered that Saleucami only had a brief paragraph. It was largely a farming community, even if it was described as barren for the most part, and did have some valuable minerals on the planet, however the percentage was so low that the Republic never bothered to try and mine them. Only a few locals had done that and made a small business on the world, shipping out to some neighbouring worlds, but nothing dramatic. And she remembered that the population number was drastically low, one of the lowest percentage in the galaxy considering it’s size. 

A few clones were also walking down the ramp to take some diagnosis, but most of them were getting the walkers ready in preparation for a likely battle while a few were already out, slowly making their way, the world almost shuddering from the weight in a pattern as the legs landed on the ground. Cody was the one directing them and starting to lead people out to the wreckage while Obi-Wan was debriefing Rex on the plan.

Seeing Obi-Wan bring his hands up, the redhead immediately came back to attention to stare at him so that she could understand the same message. Although she vaguely knew of the plan from seeing Obi-Wan talk with Cody and Anakin to create it, she still knew it would be best to pay attention. As the three of them began walking down on the ground and moving to be moving beside the larger walkers, the soil feeling solid against her feet. It hadn’t rained in a while. Talking as he signed, she watched her Master’s hands.

“Instead of scattering our troops, looking for all the escape pods, we shall head towards the wreckage of the landing transport first,” Obi-Wan explained, still walking. Turning back to Rex, he told him, still signing for her, “You and some of your company can take your speeders. We may need you for different maneuvers or for different places to look. But I also need you to tell me when the cruisers are back.”

In the corner of her eye, she noted Rex’s salute before Obi-Wan turned more to look at her so that she could also read his lips. Soon, she watched Rex move back, no doubt going to get his company and to get to the speeders. Cody may be going to meet them on one as well to meet up, either that or follow on a walker. She wished he would keep her in the know about this. Cody was the only other soldier who knew how to speak her language. 

Obi-Wan turned so that his face was towards her fully so she could read his lips as he signed “and we, Ana, are going to to be on the Walkers. We need higher ground.”

She nodded giving him a smile of assurance before she watched him move, going towards the nearest walker. From it’s slow movements, it was easy to move to the ladder and start to climb up the side of the walker. Still walking, Ana watched Obi-Wan secure his hold on the ladder and begin to move up it. When Obi-Wan was up the ladder enough, Ana waited until the walker’s four legs were fully down before making her move. As she got her feet up onto a step, she felt the walker rock again with the steps. Keeping her hold, her hair swinging with the weight change of the walker and the wind as she made it to the top, following her Master.

Walking towards the driver, the walker top was surprisingly flat. She recognized the helmet and the presence of Disc controlling the Walker. When he looked up at her, she gave him a small nod and he gave her one back before looking forward again and at the controls. During their quick recalculation before branching out again, Disc had found her by the hanger, trying to brush out her hair before putting it back in the ponytail again after the strands of hair began to annoy her enough. He offered her a small thank you before moving off, but she took the words to heart because she knew that although Disc was a little nervous to say it, she knew that the feelings were genuine. She didn’t want to embarrass him by saying hello again, nor did she think that it was exactly socially acceptable to do so during the time of battle.

In the corner of her eye, she watched as speeders moved around them. Looking back, she saw more walkers leaving the ship, Cody still directing them. She tuned back and looked forward, moving to stand beside Obi-Wan as he used his scopes, eyes searching. Ana also kept her eyes forward, slightly blinded by the sun, but she could still take in the colours of her surroundings.

Despite being in war, she couldn’t help but smile. It was the most vibrant, colourful, natural view she had ever seen before. 

 

* * *

 

Ana had been watching Disc’s controls, trying to make sense of them for the past little while as they walked to try and understand the mechanics of it. She could only read so much about it on data, but to see it working was different. She watched the screen, or rather screens. One of how the device was maintaining and then some others with different views around the Walker, one in front with various technical outlays for aiming, and then other views of behind and beside the Walker.

Seeing Obi-Wan lean forward ever so slightly while staring through the scopes, as though that would try and give him a better view. She raised an eyebrow, standing up straighter as she watched his hands fiddle with the distance view. Taking them off, Obi-Wan turned to her, offering her the scopes. Taking them, Obi-Wan signed, “I believe that we’ve found the main ship.” 

Nodding, Ana saw him point in the direction and she put on the scopes as well. The sudden greenish-hue and information popping up surprised her slightly, but she focused through the scopes. Finding where he was looking, she could only stare at the broken down metal that only vaguely resembled an escape pod now. However, it was large enough to be the one Grevious probably went in. She tried to zoom in closer to take a better look. Although that was likely the escape pod, there didn’t seem to be any life forms around it. 

Taking off the scopes, she turned to see Obi-Wan looking down off the Walker. Looking does herself, she saw Rex there on the speeder, looking up at him. Ana looked back towards Obi-Wan, just catching him saying “found Grievous’s ship.”

Ana raised her eyebrows again before looking forward again. Her brows furrowed slightly as she closed her eyes, trying to reach out in the Force. Letting the flow move from her, she searched around the metal parts, frowning slightly before she pulled back. Opening her eyes, she found that her Master was staring down at her. She hoped she wasn’t blushing in embarrassment as she watched him say, “what were you searching for?”

“Grievous,” she answered, signing as well. “He’s not there.”

“You’re sure?” Obi-Wan asked, now his gaze gaining a questioning look.

She handed him the scopes back and answered, “I couldn’t sense it.” 

Ana watched as Rex turned around, going back, but among the Walkers he was quickly hidden from view. Ana went to ask Obi-Wan what they were going to do before she felt the Walker moving forward again while Cody moved on a speeder up beside them. Looking up and seeing her close to the side he slowed on the speeder and quickly signed.

“Find anything?” he asked.

“We think we found Grievous’s ship around 200 standard units north,” she signed back.

He made a nodding motion before talking into the com-unit, informing the others of their findings.

 

* * *

 

Following Cody, Ana jumped down to the level down of metal, walking and carefully taking one more step down at the side, keeping her balance as she walked down at an angle, following Cody. Hearing her, he looked back himself before she caught up with him. As he looked up, she asked, “what are you looking for?”

“Trying to figure out how long this has been abandoned,” he explained.

It was a good idea. Ana looked forward before recognizing the layout, even if it was partially distorted and destroyed from the crash.

“I think those are the thermal housing intakes,” Ana signed as she spoke, pointing to the engine in front of her.

Both of them now at a hurrying pace, they stopped in front of the housing intakes, Ana’s brows furrowing for the moment as she placed her bare hand against the metal, a little surprised by the slight warmth coming to her hand. A bit below her, she watched as Cody did the same thing.

“They’re still warm,” Cody turned his head so she could see his lips.

Ana nodded before taking a step back, looking around the metal for any black soot or smoke evidence.

“Those things can get pretty hot, and they probably overheated slightly from the crash. But it doesn’t seem that it was on fire,” Ana told him, taking the steps forward again to put her hands on the metal again, her fingertips seeking the heat in the metal as though to be sure.

“This didn’t happen too long ago then,” Cody commented to her.

She nodded in agreement, “at least within the last couple of hours, depending on how much it overheated, but definitely not more than two standard hours.”

Looking at the ground, she couldn’t find any dragging marks, or footsteps, but the timeline at least helped to bring a piece of the puzzle.

“They’d be on foot,” Ana said, looking out towards the trees and hills off around her. “They wouldn’t get too far.”

Bringing her hands back off the metal, she looked up at the sky, watching the angle of the sun.

“Problem is,” Ana told him looking back down at him, her hair blowing in the wind coming off the hills, “it’s going to be dark soon.”

Cody nodded, looking back at the General. Ana followed his gaze, Obi-Wan with his back to them, clearly investigating something himself. Turning her head slightly, Ana managed to just see Cody shout, “Thermal housing intakes are still warm!”

Turning her head slightly to keep in eyesight of both, Obi-Wan turn around, she spotted Rex and and Jesse walking down from a higher part of the crashed escape pod. Their helmets off as well. 

“This couldn’t have happened too long ago,” she saw Cody continue, now pushing himself off of the heap and standing up as he turned. 

Ana followed him as they walked back up to Obi-Wan, watching her Master turn his back to her. She turned to face Cody for an explanation but they were already beside the Jedi Master again.

Stepping on one side of him and beside Jesse and Cody the other near Rex, Obi-Wan caught her in the corner of his eye and brought up his hands to sign as well so that she could follow along.

“We’ll split into teams,” Obi-Wan decided before looking directly at the Clone Captain. “Rex, take Jesse, Hardcase, and Kix and search those wetlands.”

Ana’s eyes flickered to Rex as she saw him nod, already moving before she could completely capture what he said, but she could assume that he had agreed with the mission. Watching the two clones in blue leave, Ana’s eyes turned back to Obi-Wan to wait for the rest of his plan. He was already signing again as he spoke.

“Cody, Ana,” he told them, looking between them briefly as he talked, “we will talk with Crys and pick it up from here.” 

She saw Cody give the faintest nod before Obi-Wan turned back to Rex. She stared at his mouth as she caught him say, “And, Rex, if you get a visual on Grievous, contact us before you engage.” Turning towards the group, she managed to catch Rex’s small nod and a grin before the four clones quickly put on their helmets, rushing to their parked speeders, all in formation of how they were trained. It almost struck her odd. After watching the clones rush away towards the more level part of the landscape, she turned back just to catch Obi-Wan nod, “…thinking on his feet”. She gave the two a confusing look, but decided to let it go. If it was important then they would have told her about it. 

Looking between the two of them, Obi-Wan told them, signing as well, “now, we need to try and figure out where else Grievous could have gone.”

“We could try and get information from the escape pods, but I have a feeling that their information systems will be fried,” Cody commented. “And I don’t think we’ll even be able to get to them.”

Obi-Wan nodded a bit, lost in thought. Ana was looking at the ground, trying to think as well. They could split up more, but that would leave them open in an attack, and even if there wasn’t an attack it would be longer for the main group to assemble to stop Grievous. They were so close. Ana could feel that. And she sensed how determined Obi-Wan was feeling. They almost had him in the palm of their hands. They had the resources and will power over Grievous at this point. All they had to do was get him first before his reinforcements came. 

Biting her bottom lip for a moment, she suddenly had the idea. A smile slowly coming to her lips, “the escape pods might not have anything we can get,” she told them, “but the Battle Droids might.”

Staring down at her as the thoughts slowly registered through their minds, smiles began to slowly form on their faces as well. 

 

* * *

 

Ana moved past Crys as she looked around the fallen Battle Droid pieces. Despite it almost going to be dark, the sun was hot. As she walked a little ways down from the Walker she had absentmindedly moved her hair to place it in a tight bun to keep it off her neck, her eyes searching at the droids. The Walkers had stopped as they began searching the wreckage, but most of the Droids were in pieces, some with seared metal from the crash or burns. They’d been fried too. It wouldn’t even be worth trying for them.

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. 

But at least it was better than nothing.

Eyes scanning, she absentmindedly watched Crys had kneeled down before a piece of the ship, moving a part to catch the droid underneath while Cody went to a body piece, looking it over. Her back was turned to the others as she kept walking forward, eyes searching as she followed Peg as he moved farther down. Her eyes searched around as she moved farther down the path. Moving farther in, she was beginning to see a broken down tree and a pathway.

A spark in thought was all it took before she picked up her pace a bit as she followed down the short path, not noticing how she caught Peg’s attention. Sensing the clone follow her down the path, the dirt under her feet slipped a bit from the slight hill downward and from the loose dirt. The area definitely wasn’t as green as the larger fields and open area they were going through before. This was almost just dry dirt. 

Skidding slightly as she moved down, she slowed down slightly as she got closer to the banged up space pods, hoping for a prize. 

Sensing Peg behind her, she looked over her shoulder at him. Watching him take off his helmet.

“Sorry,” he told her, moving his helmet under his arm. Before Ana could even ask, he was already continuing. “What are you looking for?” 

Ana was already motioning to the escape pods, not realizing how excited she looked at the possibility, “we might get lucky with the space pods.”

His one brow quirked up and he took a glance at the escape pods confused.

“But wouldn’t those already be overhe—” he only realized that she was walking towards the nearest escape pod, her back to him. His voice lowered again, realizing she wouldn’t hear him anyway. Staring at her for a moment his eyes following her as she moved towards an escape pod, he began to realize that he was following her.

Stepping up to the first escape pod, her eyes trailed along the cracked metal before noticing the opening from the doorway. Using her hands on the edge to help guide her, Ana jumped up slightly before using her arms to lift her the rest of the way up. Looking down the opening, leaning in farther so her eyesight reached all corners, she frowned when she found the empty broken escape pod. Frowning, Ana pulled herself up and swung her legs to the side and slipped down, landing in front of Peg as he stared inquisitively down at her, with a hint of humour in his eye.

“Looking for something, Commander?”

She gave him a light smile before answering, “if there are dead droids in the escape pods, they might be in better shape.”

Staring down at her, his own eyebrows slowly lifted in realization. That was a good idea. It was better than trying the burnt and destroyed droids that had fallen or broken out at least.

With Peg walking a step behind her to the next set of escape pods, Ana felt a bit of relief that she could check through the cracked glass. Kneeling down, she cupped a hand over her eyes as they searched into the pod. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Peg move down to look inside as well.

A grin quickly flashed onto Ana’s face.

There behind the glass, laid some tossed around, well-conditioned, unresponsive droids.

Leaning back, she looked over at Peg when she saw him lean back as well, looking over his shoulder. Ana’s brows furrowed for a moment before she sensed the others closing in. Moving back farther so Obi-Wan could look, the Jedi Master quickly leaned down and moved in to look through the glass as well. 

Watching him for a moment, Obi-Wan moved off to the side, his back to Ana. Her brows furrowed as she tried to move and look over his shoulder, trying to catch what he was saying. Realizing Obi-Wan wasn’t moving around, her shoulders dropped slightly and she moved back a bit. 

Instantly picking up on Ana’s body language and miscommunication, he waved his hand to get her attention. Waving his hand slightly to get her attention, Ana’s eyes travelled to him.

“Taking droid back to tank to examine,” Cody signed quickly to fill in the blanks as Obi-Wan got back up.

Relieved, Ana signed a quick “thank you” to him. Looking down at the escape pods, she moved back to where Obi-Wan took over her position. Unhooking her lightsaber, she aimed it at the top of the window and in the corner of her eye, she watched Peg lean back slightly. Activating it, there was a soft blue glow that reflected on her face as she moved her lightsaber, watching the glass easily start to crack from the second attack to it, though not completely shattering. Finishing the circle, the redhead pushed the glass forward until it fell, feeling the weigh when it hit the ground as it vibrated along the metal pod and the ground. Leaning into the new hole, she reached for the battle droid, willing the Force to bring it closer until her fingers clutched it around the neck almost triumphantly. 

Leaning back out again, she brought the droid back out as well. It was heavier than she imagined it would be. They seemed almost weightless back on her first mission as she moved her lightsaber through them. 

Moving back and slowly rising to stand, Ana looked over them in the light. Barely a scratch. She turned to Cody and told Obi-Wan, “I’ll go with them.”

Nodding, Obi-Wan answered, “I’m going to keep checking the area. Maybe we can still find a lead on foot about where they went.”

 

* * *

 

“What do you have?” Obi-Wan asked, approaching them with calm interest, signing along.

Ana looked over at him, trying to hold the smile she had been having excitedly for the past hour. She bit her bottom lip to keep herself in control, letting the clones explain their work. 

Looking over his shoulder, keeping his face and body open for Ana across from him, Crys reported, gently letting go of the droid head, “We’ve broken the access codes and powered up the droid’s power system.”

“According to his memory logs,” Cody picked up, keeping himself angled for Ana while he leaned towards Obi-Wan, leaning the screen towards the Jedi General, “he fired the emergency thrusters on the escape pod to avoid mid-air collision.”

“Collision with what?” he asked.

“Another escape pod,” Crys answered.

“There was no time to correct, for the steeper glide path, which is why this droid’s pod crashed,” Cody added, signing as he saw Ana start to lean her head again. 

Leaning back as the three others did, Obi-Wan continued, Ana watching his face as it slowly changed, visibly showing his growing determination and hope as his mind began to process what the information could lead to, “Can you pinpoint the landing zone for the other pod?”

The clones seemed to be picking on Obi-Wan’s energy. She could see it in their face, and the rousing sense of determination and excitement in the Force. Ana didn’t realize she herself was smiling from its affects. 

“I can put us within two to three klicks of it, sir.” Cody answered, still signing for her benefit.

Stroking his beard at the quick thought, Ana watched Obi-Wan lean back, a contagious grin beginning to form.

“Alert the men,” Obi-Wan commanded. “We’ve picked up the scent.”

Looking up at her, Ana gave him a grin back, nodding in agreement. Obi-Wan’s grin had extended to all of them.

 

* * *

 

Ana stood by Obi-Wan at the top of one of the front tank Walker, scanning the horizon herself as Obi-Wan looked through his specs. She watched Cody below her drive around the Walker in a speeder, moving beside them. It had been dark for a few hours at that point, the large moon moving higher into the air. They had been searching for Grievous for a couple hours, scanning the horizon and moving in the direction that they were sure the General went from the information they received. It was the only real lead that they had. 

In her peripheral vision, Ana watched Obi-Wan’s body language immediately change. His shoulders pop up slightly, as though at attention, squaring themselves as Obi-Wan straightened his back and held up his one fist, the motion Cody taught her on her last mission. 

Feeling the Walker stop, Ana looked towards Obi-Wan’s gaze one last time, her eyes barely brushing the small outline in the distance in the dark. Turning back to Obi-Wan, he gave her a small smile before he motioned down the tank. Ana nodded, following her Master’s lead as he jumped down, Cody stopped by their feet as though he knew where they would land.

Stepping up behind her Master, Obi-Wan signed as well as he could with one hand as he spoke, “There’s our escape pod.”

Moving from behind him to between him and Cody, Obi-Wan didn’t turn to look at her as he passed her his binoculars while Cody took his out quickly. Bringing them up, Ana looked out at the green horizon where she noticed the small outline before. There among the bushes, in the green digitized image and lines, she saw the remains of the escape pod, the specs singling it out for her by almost illuminating the outline of the pod. Interesting features these things had.

Besides the specs, however, the escape pod looked completely deserted. She didn’t see any other movement near the escape pod, and the specs weren’t pointing out any noticeable outlines to follow either. 

Moving the specs down, she looked back towards Obi-Wan as he signed, “He must be heading to a second escape pod.” 

Watching her Master bring up his arm to the com unit, Ana looked around at their surroundings. The large plantation caused long shadows along the land, especially with the two moons casting different light positions. At least it didn’t get cold at night. The heat was trapped to the ground. She was sure she’d sense it in the Force if Grievous or any other dangers were around.

Her attention had refocused when the ease in body language of the two men on either side of her immediately changed. She watched them become ridged at the same time, Obi-Wan immediately moving over the com-unit in worry and confusion, his features showing the same while Cody immediately looked up at the General from his specs to listen in.

Confused, looking between the two a few times, Ana stopped at Cody and quickly asked, signing: “what is going on?”

“Rex is hurt,” Cody signed quickly, almost leaning a bit more to the side to look around her. 

Alarmed, Ana took a quick glance back at Obi-Wan before turning back to Cody. This was the first news any of them had received about an incident. Where was Rex now? What about the others in the group? Were any of them okay?

“Do we know what happened? Are others hurt?” Ana signed silently.

Cody seemed to pause a bit, as though waiting to hear for himself so that he could answer. Though she felt he was still looking at Obi-Wan as the Jedi Master spoke, he signed a little more slowly, “Rex is alive, Jesse says he will be fine…they had to find him shelter for the night.”

That was a relief at least. Turning to look back at Obi-Wan, she moved her head and shoulders to try and catch what he was saying, realizing within a couple of words that he was almost creating a plan with them.

“We’re headed to the west,” Obi-Wan told them over the com. “Swing around and we can meet up at the final escape pod. We’re going to need all the firepower we can muster.”

Obi-Wan paused for a moment, Ana realizing it was a clone answering before her Master replied, “I look forward to your arrival. Hopefully we will see you when the action arrives.”

Pressing a button, Obi-Wan lowered his arm before turning to the two. 

“Ana, go to the left tank Walker, and Cody, I need you to follow with her. I want to start splitting up now for when we see Grievous,” Obi-Wan explained, signing at the same time in case she couldn’t read his lips in the dark.“Ana I want you on the other side of the ranks to give orders and Cody I want you to stay with her.”

“Yes, Master,” Ana agreed. In the corner of her eye, she saw Cody salute as his agreement along with what he was saying.

“Moving forward, then?” she asked. 

Obi-Wan nodded and agreed, “forward we go.”

She nodded back and he turned almost immediately to step back up the tank. Ana turned herself, facing Cody. “I’ll follow you,” he signed to her, still not standing from his seat on the speeder.

“Sounds good,” Ana answered as she signed. 

Moving her eyes, they trailed up to the tank on Cody’s other side a few steps away. Walking towards it, Ana walked up it as well, the Walker already moving by the time she made it to the top, seeing Coin in the seat. She gave him a nod, moving to stand beside him as she looked out around them herself, almost mimicking Obi-Wan’s earlier motions. If Grievous was close, he or the battle droids may have figured out that they were closing in on them. He might be preparing for a meeting himself.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Obi-Wan a little in front of them, standing at attention as well, completely determined.

 

* * *

 

Ana had sensed they were close before Grievous and the Battle Droids made their first attack at the oncoming tanks. The blast had gone between two tanks on the other side of Obi-Wan, but they weren’t far off. It was like the first stone was cast and pretty soon more were going to be flying to the air towards them, and one of them was bound to hit.

It was an immediate change in the air, the first spark of fire started. The first electric charge beginning, waiting to connect to something to burn. 

Taking Cody’s specs, she had quickly spanned the horizon, looking for the specific direction so that they weren’t firing blind either. Reaching out in the Force, she followed the charge in the air, soon spotting the movement among the foliage. They would have to keep moving forward to get battle ground, but it was a start.

“Coin! Aim left 14!” Ana commanded him.

Not knowing if he answered her or not, the clone aimed, Ana watched the tank gun move sideways to the left before she felt the Walker take a rough, sudden jolt, making her and Cody sway back as the Walker’s shot took flight. Cody was already turning to place orders in his com unit for the other clones. Looking through the specs again, Ana watched the blaster hit close to their target, watching more scrambling on the other side.

Turning on her com, she quickly spoke the coordinates to the other clones before turning to Obi-Wan. He also turned to her, catching her gaze before signing to them, “keep aiming and control the front. Try and block exit routes. I’m moving forward!” 

Ana nodded making the “I understand” sign before turning back to look at the rest of the Walkers, steadily moving forward as thought make a wall as the clones on the ground began to move forward as well, finding a place to take cover that would also allow them to aim. Turning on her com again, she ordered, “right flank I want you to focus on moving closer to the mountain range before beginning fire, Longshot I want you to take your tank to the front, give cover to the front shooters and the moving Walkers.”

Cody was also speaking, though she didn’t know for how long until she noticed. The electric spark a fire now as she could feel the set up coming to the hitting point, feeling blasters begin to fly through the air now on both sides. It wasn’t like at her first battle, where the blasters began flying like constant light shows against each others, flashing around. Instead, the blasters were slower, yet steady. One comeback creating the next at a steady rate. They were making more blaster shots on their side, but the battle droids were steadily building it back.

“Go direct the ground front,” Ana told Cody.

He made a salute, knowing then that he said “yes sir” before moving off of the walker. Ana felt it rock back again before jolting, feeling the large blaster take another aim. 

As Cody’s feet hit the ground, the redhead watched him begin to hurry off to the other side towards the grounded clones, many of them already taking cover behind something as they walked forward before taking aim for short fire themselves, aiming for some of the droids that were in close enough range to them.

She began looking back along the horizon as another light caught in the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she watched the Separatist bolt flying towards them. She wasn’t exactly sure what came first, her own calculations on the trajectory or the slight prickle of a warning in the Force as the bolt rapidly approached them. Her eyes turning to the walker her Master was on, Ana barely had time to open her mouth to warn him before the bolt hit. Among the shadows of the explosion and fire, Ana let out the breath she was holding as she watched a shadow flip gracefully off the tank. Her relief was only fuelled when she saw the blue lightsaber ignite, showing Obi-Wan crouched in his stance, and when she saw the shadows of clone troopers leaving the fire encompassing tank. No casualties from the explosion. 

Watching the light of the lightsaber and Obi-Wan’s shadow begin to burst forward, the clones from the tank and from beside it moved to follow him quickly, their shadows both leaving a trail and almost making them invisible. 

Taking the specs, Ana was already moving to look for the Separatist line, eyes searching for the larger gun. Watching another light burst from the other side and come flying towards their army, she took note of the position as her view was taken up by a bright light from the explosion to her left, leaving the air charged from the two bolts blasting into each other. 

“Coin, take aim at 8 left!” Ana commanded, still looking through the specs, keeping eyes on the position. If they can take out their main gun while Obi-Wan drew closer to Grievous, it wouldn’t take long for the battle to end.

Feeling the jolt of the tank below her, she followed the line of fire through her specs and watched the bolt smash the gunner, fire erupting from the ground as the bright lights of the explosion filled the view in the specs. 

“Great shot, Coin!” she told him, “we got it.”

Pulling the specs away, she commanded into the com unit to the other tanks and clones, “the main gun’s down! Push forward!” 

Bringing her hand back up to hold the specs to her eyes, she felt the tank moving forward again. Searching the Separatist ground, she saw the blue and green lights of three lightsabers crashing against each other. Not realizing she was also leaning forward slightly, Ana changed the vision length on the specs, watching as Grievous began crashing and making blows to Obi-Wan as her Master deflected and defended the sabers, watching with anticipation as the green labour was flown from Grievous’s hand, the light spinning a few times before disappearing, likely as it deactivated when hitting the ground.

She felt the prickle from the Force first, like a light breath of air against the back of her neck before feeling more of a rush of wind. Brining the specs back down, Ana’s eyes searched the sky, spotting the ship coming from the west as it flew quickly towards them, low to the ground. Eyes widening slightly as it began to pass over her, Ana brought her arm back up to speak into the com, her hair blowing in the wind the low-flying ship made as some strands moved into her face, gently tickling her cheeks. The Separatist ship, no doubt one Grievous must’ve been calling for to pick him up. 

“Triple-Eight, aim for that ship! The rest of you, keep moving forward. If it gets close to you aim for the ship as well, but take out those droids,” Ana spoke into the com before turning to Coin. “Coin, shoot for that ship as well.”

Jumping down from the tank, Ana was already running towards the Separatist ship as it stopped over what remained of the Separatist fleet, moving to help Obi-Wan subdue Grievous or at least stop him from entering the ship before they could take it down. Eyes searching as she clipped the specs to her belt, she ran faster as she could see the small images of Obi-Wan being kicked away from Grievous as the cyborg began to jump up a broken ship, lightsabers disengaging as they fell. 

Igniting her own lightsaber, Ana pushed faster, taking as long of strides as she possibly could to reach them, bolts from the clones and tanks aiming towards Grievous and the ship decorating the sky in blue and yellow light.

Rushing up the broken ship, Ana quickly passed Obi-Wan as he began to slowly push himself up. 

Gritting her teeth, Ana leaped as Grievous hooked a line to the ship as it quickly lifted up, aiming to cut it and bring him back down. Watching as Grievous ignited his own saber, Ana could only block and defend as he brought faber down on hers instead of the attack.Turning a bit mid-air, the Grievous attacked blocked any attack Ana could’ve made as she was falling back down from the jump. Feeling her knees hit the ship, she grimaced slightly before letting herself slide down slightly until her shoes caught on a metal pillar from the ship. Catching her balance, she looked up to the ship as it kept lifting up, Grievous slowly being pulled back up to it to leave the atmosphere.

Moving quickly back over to the other side of the ship, she looked down at Obi-Wan as Cody and Longshot rode up quickly to them as Obi-Wan held himself to the side of the ship. 

“Are you alright Sirs?” Cody asked, quickly signing as well.

“Master?” Ana asked, sliding down carefully to move closer to him. In the darkness she could barely see his lips when he was facing away from the light of the moons.

“No,” he answered, his fist hitting the metal, irritation clearly visible on his face more than his lip movements before he explained, signing for her, “We’re right back where we started.”

When Ana looked up again, she saw the ship flying away, Grievous no longer visible. She sighed and looked back down at him and asked, “do we have any ships in the air?”

Obi-Wan sighed irritably, but not towards her. Turning back to Cody slightly, he told him as he signed for her benefit, “Call the cruisers. See if they can stop that ship.” However, it seemed that Obi-Wan didn’t have a lot of faith in that idea. It was a last attempt, like a last word, as a way to try but seemed to know it wouldn’t do any good. 

“Right away, Sir,” Cody answered, signing as well.

Obi-Wan sighed, his face not as contorted in annoyance as before, but more in disappointed irritation. “And tell them to send someone to pick us up,” he answered, his shoulders deflating slightly.

Ana looked towards Cody, but then realized that there was nothing left to be done. If Obi-Wan was giving up now, after how determined he was, they knew that this battle was lost. Her shoulders deflated slightly and she disengaged her lightsaber. Hooking it onto her belt, she slid down the side, her feet hitting the ground softly as she watched Obi-Wan already walking back to the others. 

Turning back to Cody, he gave a small shrug and signed silently to her “can’t win them all.”

She gave a slight nod, watching as the two clones immediately turned around to spin away. Turning back to Obi-Wan, she saw her Master looking up at the ship Grievous left on. Frowning a little, she asked gently, “Master? Are you okay?”

He turned to look at her and sighed, nodding. “Yes….I just hate it when we get so close only to have it slip through our fingers.”

Sliding back down, Ana’s feet hit the ground softly as Obi-Wan pushed himself off the side and slid down as well.

“I’m sorry, Master. I should’ve ran over to help you faster. We could’ve kept him occupied while the clones had more time to shoot down the ship,” Ana admitted, hoping her voice didn’t sound as small as it felt in her throat.

But he was already shaking his head. 

“You did exactly what I told you, Ana. And you did it well. The last attempt to get him was a … heroic attempt,” Obi-Wan told her, a gentle smile on his face as well. “The first thing you’re going to have to have to learn Ana is how to fall and how to lose. Unfortunately, we cannot win every time, or else we would’ve won the war the first day. You have to take both the wins and defeats.”

He sighs and then tells her, “all we can do is prepare for the next one and do our best. We’ll get Grievous, eventually.”

She nodded, a smile tugging at her lips.

He patted her shoulder, “lets get going. We have some cleaning up to do. It’ll be light in a couple of hours.”

She nodded, beginning to walk with him, “yes, Master.” 


End file.
